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The MP3 and Internet
Audio Handbook
complete guide to playing, editing, and recording audio files
Two huge commercial mergers have been announced in the last week - Time-Warner with EMI and AOL. Is it any coincidence that they are in the music business, just at a time when it is under a threat from the digital revolution? I think not. The MP3 audio format has put the wind up the multinationals.
You can now download a four-minute song in less than fifteen minutes or less. Even with the criminal charges for phone calls in the UK, this makes compiling your own CDs a feasible prospect. Bruce Fries' book tells you how to do it, with advice on where to download the files and software to deal with all these marvellous freebies - including a program scheduler which will do it all automatically at night whilst you're asleep.
He includes digital radio, and there is an entire chapter devoted to questions of copyright - with lots of practical examples, simply explained. This includes the subtle differences between files which are streamed and downloadable. If you want to be sure about a copyright issue - either as an amateur or professional, the answer is here. There are product reviews of portable MP3 players, peripherals for connecting to your PC , and - something I hadn't come across before - 'skins', which allow you to customise the player's onscreen interface.
There's a technical primer on understanding digital audio, plus instructions on how to record from analogue sources. [You can now transfer all your old Tammy Wynette albumns onto your hard disk - as a backup for posterity.] He includes a clear explanation of making and editing your own audio files, and then for good measure there are step-by-step tutorials complete with screenshots of the software which has been discussed.
This is a very thorough production by someone with first-hand experience of the technology. No wonder it's been called 'The Bible of MP3'. He finishes with an annotated list of related websites, complete with ratings; suggestions of where to buy equipment (with prices); and recommendations for further reading, plus a glossary. What more do you want? If you're going to dabble with digital audio, this is the place to start.
© Roy Johnson 2000
[more technical articles]
Bruce Fries, The MP3 and Internet Audio Handbook: Your Guide to the Digital Musical Revolution, Burtonsville, MD: TeamCom Books, 2000, pp.302, ISBN: 1928791107
Discounts of 40% at Amazon!
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