|
|
[description], Story, any other text you want to use.
Beginner's Guide to Music File Formats
by: Gary Hendricks
Are you confused by the various types of music file formats out there? Most of you would have heard of the popular MP3 format, but are you aware there are other alternative digital music formats like WAV, WMA, RA and MIDI? Some of these give better sound quality than MP3 (e.g. the WAV format) but also need more disk storage space. Others like WMA give file sizes smaller than the MP3 format and are more suited for portable music players.
Let's run through the various file formats now:
The MP3 File Format
MP3 files have the extension ".mp3" and are available for download from many web sites. MP3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3) technology compresses a sound sequence into a very small file (usually one twelfth of of the original file size). The designers of MP3 compression algorithm managed to do this by eliminating sounds that the human ear cannot perceive. While MP3 technology is impressive, it has been abused by music pirates. One can very easily create MP3 files from commercial CDs and make them available for download. The RIAA and major music companies have been cracking down on the distribution and sharing of MP3 files in this manner.
The WMA File Format
WMA (Windows Media Audio) is Microsoft's proprietary music file format that it is marketing aggressively. WMA files are smaller in size than MP3 files, but still retain a decent level of sound quality. This format is getting very popular in websites for sampling music and also in portable music players. However, whether WMA will overtake the popularity of MP3 remains to be seen.
The WAV File Format
A wave file is characterized by the file extension ".wav". This music file format provides raw, uncompressed audio data. Originally invented by Microsoft, wave files are still used widely (examples include your start up and shut down sounds in Windows). Audio quality is excellent, but the file size is huge. A full pop song in wave format may take up to 30 MB of disk space or more.
The AIFF File Format
The AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format) is a popular music file formats used in the Apple Macintosh operating system. In a way, they are the Macintosh equivalent of wave files. AIFF files have the file extension ".aif" when accessed via a PC. They contain raw audio data (which result in excellent sound quality) but take up a large amount of disk space.
The MIDI File Format
The MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) file format was originally created for recording and playing music on digital synthesizers. MIDI files are very small in size. The reason for this is that the MIDI file only contains information on how music is produced (e.g. note-ons and note-offs). The sound card which plays back the MIDI file takes this information and plays back music using an in-built soundcard wavetable.
The RA File Format
RA (RealAudio) files support streaming technology. Created by Progressive Networks, an RA file is highly optimized for live, streaming audio from websites. RA files are best played back on RealAudio players which are freely downloadable from Progressive Networks.
Conclusion
Well, that wraps up our coverage of the most popular music file formats out there. You may be interested to know that there are many software applications which can convert music from one format to another (e.g. MP3 to WAV or WAV to AIFF). Do a search for these applications at www.download.com.
dish network test cards
If you've spent any time online looking for dish network test cards, you've undoubtedly seen advertisements plastered all over the Web. Companies large and small pay for dish network test cards ad banners and links to their websites from other companies' websites. Advertising rates vary wildly, depending on the site and its audience.
What determines which dish network test cards sites attract advertisers? Sites whose audience demographics match those of the advertiser's customer base. For instance, companies who sell dish network test cards to businesses, want to pitch their message to executives who making decisions in that area. To put it bluntly, the dish network test cards advertiser wants to get their message to you, the consumer. That's why they use appropriate and appeal banners and links like those shown here.
Broadcast On the Net Index
|
Main Menu
Broadcast On the Net
Site Map
Affiliate Ads, Links, news, etc.
News for 21-Jun-26 Source: BBC News - Home 500 years later Source: BBC News - Home Adrenaline and exhaustion Source: BBC News - Home Trump official Paladino under fire over crude Obama remarks Source: BBC News - Home George North: World Rugby wants more information from RFU over 'non-compliance' Source: BBC News - Home British passenger missing from Queen Mary 2 liner Source: BBC News - Home Syria: 'Moment of relief' for Aleppo children Source: BBC News - Home Crash survivor: 'I put my seatbelt on' Source: BBC News - Home All heart Source: BBC News - Home Kim Ghattas: Trump's Syria conundrum Source: BBC News - Home Preserving Mali's rural life
Links
Links
Links
|