MP3 Player Guide

Creating your own audio studio has never been easier. There are so many great products around today that will allow you to produce high quality audio for a fraction of the price it used to cost.

HARDWARE

The first thing you will need is a compatible computer. Today every new computer is already set up with everything you will need. A basic sound card with a mic and line in jack. If you do not have a sound card they are very cheap and you can get a good one from any standard computer shop.

Next you will need a good mic. These come in all sizes and shapes with different configurations however a general all round mic like the Logitech Noise-canceling microphone is fine for beginners. I suggest you get a desk top one to start with as you may want to move into video later and so you wont want a headset in your videos.

Of course you could go up a stage and get a preamp with a professional mic but this will start running into dollars and the whole aim of this article ids to help you get started.

Next you will want to get some cables to connect up your tape recorder and other audio equipment. Again the computer stores now have packs that will connect up pretty well any device into your computer to digitalize your sound.

SOFTWARE – RECORDING

Recording your audio is probably one of the most critical parts of this process and again you can get software that ranges from free to many thousands of dollars. For this exercise I suggest you download the free copy of Audacity. This is an excellent software package that will allow you to record from your mic or any equipment you have.

It provides excellent editing capabilities and also will allow you to edit multiple tracks and then combine them into one single track. For a wuick overview of how to do this you can watch this video.

http://www.msincome.com.au/sound/testaudio.html

Download the software here. http://audacity.sourceforge.net

SOFTWARE – CONVERTING

The next piece of software you will need for your studio is a converting program that will allow you to convert different formats. For example you may have a real audio file and you want to convert it to mp3. dBpoweramp is like the swiss army knife for the audio industry and will convert just about any file to any other file format.

Convert from one format to another, just about every audio type is supported: mp3, mp4, Windows Media Audio (wma), Ogg Vorbis, AAC, Monkeys Audio, FLAC and many others whilst preserving ID Tags. It will also rip CDs for you.

http://www.dbpoweramp.com/dmc.htm

SOFTWARE – REDUCTION

If you are going to stream an mp3 direct then you may want to recompile the file to a smaller format. RazorLame is a so-called ‘front-end’ for use with LAME. LAME is a great MP3-Encoder: it’s very fast, it produces high-quality files, has many advanced features (like Variable Bitrates and Joint-Stereo), and it’s open source. Unfortunately, it is a command line utility, and that is where RazorLame comes in: It provides an easy-to-use graphical user-interface which makes MP3-encoding even easier!

The best way to use this software is to get one file and compile in a number of different formats to test the size against quality. Very similar to working with graphics.

http://www.dors.de/razorlame/download.php

SOFTWARE – STREAMING

There are a few different ways of streaming your new audio files. If you have Macromedia products you can simple organize this your self however there are some great third party programs around that will do it all for you at a fraction of the cost.

MP3 SOUND STREAM

This is a simple piece of software that takes any mp3 or wav audio and converts the whole file into a swf file and then attaches a button so that viewers can listen on a web page without needing to download any extra software. This is because the flash plugin is on 98% of computesr and if not it will automatically detect and load the small plugin. This is great for anyone not wanting to get ino all the technical aspects of streaming audio.

You will not need to reduce your files at all with this program as it doers it all for you. This is perfect for anyone wanting to stream one file at a time and wants to do it quickly and efficiently. It will stream even over most modem connections.

http://www.mp3soundstream

MSIJUKEBOX

For people wanting to stream a number of files then msijukebox is a great alternative. This software lets you choose any number of mp3 files and then organizes them using an XML file. By using the above free programs you can significantly reduce the size of these files to save on bandwidth.

Because MSIJukebox streams the actual mp3 you can also have a lot higher quality playback including stereo files. This is much better for those wanting to stream a number of very high quality mp3 audio files.

http://www.msijukebox.com

SUMMARY

So there you have it. A complete studio set up for under $100. Just download all the free software and purchase any of the streaming audio setups that you want. You can then create, edit and manipulate any audio files you like. You will also be able to add these audios to your website.

With the web surfer becoming much more ‘web savvy’ than they were a year ago, they are expecting not only information but an entertaining web experience.

Quentin Brown
Quentin Brown has been helping people add audio to their web sites for the past two years and provides a wealth of knowledge and expertise for those who are technically challenged but want to make use of new technology without spending a fortune. www.quentinbrown.com

quentin@msincome.com.au

Web Development Related Articles

So what is the Microsoft Zune? And where is the best place to buy Zune, Zune accessories, Zune music and Zune downloads?

Zune is more than a brand from Microsoft that incorporates a line of portable media players. It is also software that will drive the devices, and an online service for acquiring and sharing media. The flagship Zune product is the portable media player, that will compete directly with Apples Ipod. The Zune was released on the US market on November 14, 2006 with a price tag of $249.99, and you can order it today here at OneStopZuneShop – as well as all of the Zune Accessories.

The Zune has a 30 GB hard drive which stores up to 7,500 songs, 25,000 pictures or 100 hours of video. It has built-in FM tuner with Radio Data System, 3.0-inch screen, and 802.11 wireless networking. The player comes in three colors–black, brown and white. Supported codecs include H.264, MP3, WMA, WMV, MPEG4, JPG and AAC[6] [7].

The wireless networking connects two Zunes together, enabling the sharing of ‘full-length sample tracks of select songs’, recordings, playlists and pictures with others. Tracks received from another person can be played for up to three days or three plays, whichever comes first, after which it will need to be purchased via the Zune Marketplace store–their official name for the store.

The Zune is able to connect to the Xbox 360, which allows the user to stream music, videos, and pictures via USB. Microsoft Points is used to buy music via the Zune Marketplace. The Zune Marketplace can be used as a per-song purchase plan or as a subscription-based flat-fee service, known as a ‘Zune Pass’.

What does the future hold for the Microsoft Zune?

Rumours suggest the Zune will, in the near future, also act as a mobile phone. But in the interim, well have access to a broad range of Zune accessories, such as:

* Zune Car Pack and Auto Installation Kits
* Zune Cases
* Zune Speakers
* Zune Docks
* Zune Movies
* Zune TV Shows
* Zune Music
* Zune Videos
* Zune Software, and
* Zune Downloads

You can buy Zune products and Zune accessories at the One Stop Zune Shop by clicking here.

Stephen Davis

Stephen Davis reviews websites for reliability.

Music Software

There is plenty of free and trial version (shareware) audio software available for download these days.  You can convert, encode, rip, edit, burn, and even record audio off LPs or in some cases, you can record any sound you can hear using these software products.  Below is a list of some popular trial version and free audio software and their respective attributes. 

Blaze Media Pro

The most powerful of these products is Blaze Media Pro, an all-in-one audio/video converter (CD, MP3, WAV, WMA, OGG, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, AVI, WMV, etc); editor; recorder; CD ripper; audio, video (VCD/SVCD/DVD), data CD/DVD burner; and much more in one fast and easy-to-use product. The software offers an easy to use, fast, and feature-rich MPEG encoder in the video converter feature, which also provides an option to encode a video of up to four hours so that it will fit on a single DVD disc. Of course, the software supports all the features youd expect in such a high-powered product, such as CDDB/FreeDB/CDDB2 support, MP3 tagging, audio recognition, audio and video joining, extracting audio or images from video files, creating new video files from images and audio, and a seemingly endless amount of other useful features. The software is priced at $50, but is well worth the cost with all the features packed inside, taking the place of many other products in a single application. The file size is 11767 KB.

EasyISO

EasyISO is simple, standalone (no install) CD Burning software with support for CDR/CDRW, DVD+RW, DVD-R and DVD-RW.  It provides on-the-fly burning without creating any temporary files.  EasyISO supports Joliet as well as Multi-session, Disc Caching and Burn Proof.  You can also create bootable CDs and test write before burning.  It uses the standard or any other ASPI-driver.  The file size is 282 KB. 

DVD Decrypter

Ripping in DVD Decrypter 3.5.4.0 (last freeware version) is easy.  By default, the program will automatically select the source (i.e. the DVD drive) and the destination folder, by finding the drive with the most free disk space.  The “Main Movie” files will have already been selected for you, so you only have to click to begin ripping. In about 10 – 30 minutes (depending on the speed of your computer / DVD drive) it will finish and you will have quality DeCSSd VOB files on your hard disk.  From there you can choose to watch them with the likes of PowerDVD and WinDVD or you can re-encode them to MPEG1 (VCD) or DivX.  The file size is 858 KB.

dBpowerAmp Music Converter

Using dBpowerAmp Music Converter 10.0 (last freeware version) dMC, you can digitally rip sound from audio CDs to a multitude of formats and convert from one format to another while preserving ID tags.  Nearly every audio type is supported, including MP3, MP4, Windows Media Audio (WMA), OGG Vorbis, AAC, Monkeys Audio, and FLAC (with optional installs from Codec Central).  For Windows Explorer integration, right-click “Convert To” and pop up useful information on audio files (such as bit rate and length).  You can also record from LPs with Auxiliary Input.  The file size is 1391 KB. 

My MP3 Recorder

With My MP3 recorder, you can record internet radio, save to MP3 or WAV.  This software is 100% Spyware/Adware free.  Record streaming audio from the internet, microphone or any other source for that matter, works directly with your system sound card.  If you can hear it, you can record it. This program is meant to be extremely intuitive to use, with enough features to get the job done quickly and easily.  Use the scan tool to list all MP3s and WAV, AIF, SAW or Sun AU audio files on your entire computer.  You can play and record portions of any of these files.  It has customizable colors, timer, on top mode and skinning.  The file size is 4571 KB.

Deep Ripper

DeepRipper is a freeware that will convert your audio CD tracks to a first-grade MP3, OGG, or WAV files.  There is a number of presets for less experienced users and full set of manual settings for experts.  It allows you to take a full control over CD ripping, do it quickly, easily and in a flexible way.  Extracting digital music files from CDs becomes simple, quick, and painless with DeepRipper.  You have full control over constant or variable bitrate encoding, ID3 tags management, MPEG version selection- all for first-grade ripping.  The file size 769 KB.

Free CD to MP3 Converter

Free CD to MP3 Converter is an easy to use CD ripper that allows you to extract audio files from a CD and convert them to MP3 format.  It can automatically retrieve title information from the CDDB database or rename the CD tracks title and remember them, normalize the output files and supports additional LAME options.  You can also use the software to record to MP3 with your microphone, or to convert WAV files to MP3 format.  It has easy to use interface that allows you to rip tracks of your Audio CD just by several clicks.  It also can clear the play list of RealOne Player and Windows Media Player.  The file size is 845 KB.

Softdiv CD Ripper

Softdiv CD Ripper makes direct digital copies from audio CDs and saves them as MP3, WMA, OGG, WAV, RAW, VOX, G.723, and G.726.  Softdiv CD Ripper also supports CDDB (Internet Compact Disc Database) where you can retrieve disc information from the Internet.  Softdiv CD Ripper also includes an ID3v2 editor to read and edit the audio files.  File size is 3.97 MB.

CDBurnerXP Pro

CDBurnerXP Pro is a freeware CD burner solution with many features.  It can burn Data-CDs/DVDs, Audio-CDs, and ISOs.  Since version 2.2.5, it can also create ISO files.  It also has a simple cover printing function, rip audio-CDs with freedb.org support, a small audio editor, MP3 tag editor, and a converter for WAV and MP3.  There are a lot of settings to customize CDBXPP.  Burnproof-technology to prevent buffer underrun errors is also supported.  File size is 15 MB. 

Freecorder

Freecorder does exactly as it sounds.  It is an easy-to-use free software program that lets you record any sound you can hear on your PC.  Recordings are saved as MP3 files. Freecorder is a great way to get started with capturing audio on your PC.  File size is 910 KB. 

Audiograbber

Audiograbber is a beautiful piece of software that grabs digital audio from CDs.  It copies the audio digitally, not through the sound card, which enables you to make perfect copies of the originals.  It can even perform a test to see that the copies really are perfect. Audiograbber can also automatically normalize the music, delete silence from the start and/or end of tracks, and send them to a variety or external MP3 encoders, such as Fraunhofers L3enc, or even use some MP3/WMA encoders internally for automatic creation of MP3s.  Audiograbber can download and upload disc info from freedb, an Internet compact disc database.  You can even record your vinyl LPs or cassette tapes with Audiograbber and make WAV or MP3 files from them.  There are a number of other features also present in the software, making it an attractive option. File size is 1.6 MB. 

DVD Rip N’ Burn

With this program, you are able to copy DVD to AVI, DIVX, MPEG, VCD, SVCD, and more. DVD Rip N’ Burn is a powerful DVD Ripper and DVD Burner with multi-language support is an affordable way to backup your DVD movie library. Backup your DVDs to your hard drive or CDs.  You can rip your library to AVI compressed pick DivX or another codec to encode to.  You can rip to VCD for burning a VCD to play in your home DVD player.  You can also rip to SVCD for burning to play in your home DVD player.  File size is 4851 KB.

Christy Holt

None

The Rio Mp3 Player is an excellent choice for those who are interested in buying an mp3 player. One huge advantage that a Rio MP3 Player has over lots of other mp3 players is that it can play WMA files. WMA files are Windows Media Files. These files were build into a software by Microsoft and are great competitors of the MP3 format, however this does not pose a problem for the Rio Player. The WMA files have many great qualities. The files are about half the size of an MP3 file, so you will get more of your favorite music on your Rio MP3 Player. The Rio MP3 Player is available in two formats: Hard Drive and Flash Memory.The choice of memory is up to you and your needs and how much music you are going to put on the Rio MP3 Player. The Hard Drive player can be between 1 Gigabytes and 20 Gigabtyes of storage. This is saying that you can put about from 750 to 10,000 music files on an RIO MP3 Player.A Flash Memory player holds considerly less data. These mp3 players range between 128 Megabtyes and 51 Megabtyes. However , with the flash memory player you can expand on the memory. Which means upgrade your memory to hold more music on your mp3 player.

You will want to look into what you music needs are before determining which RIO MP3 player will be your best decision. You are going to want a portable MP3 player that you can use while you are exercising, running, or even walking. You should be looking at the Rio Forge, Rio Cali, Rio Chiba.

Now if you are looking for a mp3 player that holds thousands of music files for a hole day of music,look for the Rio Karma MP3 Player. This huge MP3 player has a 20GB hard drive and can store up to 10,000 songs. This makes it a very easy and almost perfect choice for those of you looking for a mp3 player with unlimited listening pleasure. The Rio MP3 Player now even has bigger MP3 PLAYERS than the 20GB.

Brian Lupichuk

Brian Lupichuk invites you to World of MP3 Players an information website focused on MP3 Players and other valuable information about MP3 Players. Find out why more and more people are replacing their CD player with a MP3 Player! Before you go to buy your new mp3 player consult World of MP3 Players to help you find the right mp3 player that fits your lifestyle and budget.