The Official MP3.com Guide to MP3 - Softcover

Robertson, Michael; Simpson, Ron

Softcover

ISBN 10: 096705740X ISBN 13: 9780967057408

Publisher: Omnibus Press, 2002

Synopsis

The most comprehensive resource on MP3, this book tells you which websites to visit and provides valuable tips for the music lover, casual surfer, musician and computer enthusiast. MP3 is changing the world and the way you listen to it. The popular easy to use technology lets you easily download songs and even entire albums of near compact disc quality music from the Internet. This launches you into this music explosion with in-depth discussions of the latest software and hardware, as well as user-friendly tutorials on how to download music and even sell music online. The most valuable comprehensive resource on MP3, this book tells you which websites to visit and provides valuable tips for the music lover. Beginners can get up to speed on MPS and experienced users will benefit from discussion on advanced features.

About this title

Review

MP3 music files. Have you heard all of the hoopla and felt just a little bit left out? Does all the talk about this new technology leave you feeling sheepish because of your lack of knowledge? Are you confused about that new Netscape Communicator plug-in called Winamp? If so, The Official MP3.comGuide to MP3 is without a doubt the book for you. Leaning toward the practical side of MP3s, Michael Robertson and Ron Simpson have written a book to help the rest of us get a firm grasp on this emerging technology.

By using simple explanations and concise tutorials, the authors introduce readers to the music compression format that has changed the face of the music industry. Each of the first four chapters in the book is a stand-alone unit designed to illustrate one or two basic concepts, for example, how to upgrade the encoder files of the shareware version of Audiograbber with a freeware MP3 encoder that allows 128 kbs rates and higher.

The book discusses some of the competition that MP3 is facing from other compression schemes such as Liquid Audio, Real Audio and Sony's VQF. Robertson and Simpson also delve into the MP3 phenomenon from a musician's point of view, giving suggestions and tips on how any musician or band can use MP3 and the Internet to showcase and distribute their music to a vast audience with a minimum of fuss or expense.

As they explain configuration options and basic functions, the authors take us by the hand as they tour Winamp, Sonique, MusicMatch Jukebox and some of the other players they list as honourable mentions. All of the slightly more advanced concepts such as ripping, CODECS, editing ID3 tags, adding equaliser treatments, streaming, skins and plug-ins are treated in the same easy-going manner, which is always lucid and never condescending.

One of the more useful topics discussed involves using MusicMatch to convert directly from music CDs to an MP3 file in a one-step process. Without MusicMatch this involves a two-step process which creates a 10 Meg per minute WAV file on your hard drive--which subsequently requires conversion to the MP3 format (a very handy trick that conserves hard drive space).

Beginners will love this book with its easy-to-follow tutorials and more experienced users will be sure to find helpful tips and tricks scattered throughout the pages. --Robert D. Gately, Amazon.com

Topics covered: Introduction to the MP3 format; examination of the portable MP3 players on the market; the history of MP3; the legalities involved in creating your own MP3s from your favourite CDs; techniques for configuring your MP3 player; downloading from the internet; and playing and ripping your own MP3 files.

Edition details

• Publisher: Omnibus Press
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 096705740X
• ISBN 13: 9780967057408
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 215