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This is all so confusing
I have a cd that needs to be convrted to mp3 format. I have already ripped it to my computer with windows media player. What I need to do is format the songs so I can send them to internet radio stations, websites, digital download sites, etc. I am running XP with a dial-up connection. Can anyone help?
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Re: This is all so confusing
Well, have you downloaded and installed dBpowerAMP Music Converter (dMC for short)?
This allows you to convert to and from different formats, including ripping tracks off of audio cd's.
If you ripped the cd using WMP, then the format you have is most likely wma and probably not a very good audio quality as I think it has no options for varying the bitrate, etc.
The best thing to do at this point is to re-rip the cd using dMC Audio CD Input. This is one the the programs that you get when you download dMC.
Rip the cd to standard uncompressed PCM wav, 16-bit, 44.1KHz, 2-channel stereo in order to have the best audio file possible - exactly the same as the cd tracks.
Then you encode those files to mp3 format. Acceptable CD quality for an mp3 means a bitrate of 128kbps, CBR, frequency 44.1KHz, stereo. Less than that it will be poor audio quality, more than that it results in files which are too big for your internet connection (though of better audio quality still). Only vary the bitrate, leave other settings alone. At that bitrate, audio files occupy 1MB per minute of audio approximately. So an average song may be about 3MB to 4MB at that bitrate. This takes pretty long to transmit over a dial-up connection still, but you seem to have no choice.
When you first download dBpowerAMP Music Converter you get a 30-day trial version which contains the license for encoding to mp3, as well as the PowerPack which has some other interesting useful features. After 30 days, if you have not actually purchased the registered version (it's just $14 for lifetime), you lose the capability to encode to mp3 (patent regulations for mp3 demand a license) as well as the PowerPack special functions. The rest of the converter program remains intact and you can perform all conversions except to mp3. Conversions from mp3 to other formats are always free. -
Re: This is all so confusing
Actually with WMP 10 you can rip to MP3 (128 through 320 kbps), as well as several sorts of WMA (including lossless), however you do have to go into 'tools, options, ripping' and pick what you want. Default is some miserable variant of .wma.
No disputing that DBPoweramp is better (or I wouldn't be here) but WMP is not as useless as some folks believe (bloated - Oh yes, it's definitely bloated!). The key, before starting, is to figure out what you want to end up with (and why!) before you invest too much effort ripping to an inapropriate format.Comment
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Re: This is all so confusing
Ok, I have only WMP 9 at this poitn as I'm still on W 2K. Tht doesn't have an option for anyhting but a basic wma setting that I cannto even change. Haven't in fact botherd too much to figure out where you'd chaneg it, to tall the truth, sicne I'm using dMC. Rigth, I now rememebr reading that WMP 10 can do mp3, WMP 9 does it if you have the mp3 plugin I think, which I don't have.
Personally I prefer wma, but I want to be able to chose my settings. As I prepare lots of audio and video files fro the web at various bitrates to cater to any connection from slo-poke dial up at 28.8K to ultr hi-speed, I find Windows Media allow for the best quality at the optimal file size, and streaming which important to me.Comment
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Re: This is all so confusing
Hang on, what's so confusing? dBpowerAMP Music Converter is exactly what it sounds like. It converts music? What's the problem? :confused:
Oh, and, if you're on a dial-up connection, g'luck, because it's not easy at all to host high quality songs on a dial-up connection.Comment
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