Report on WMA vs. MP3

By Zeeman Haus

The biggest question when formatting newly recorded audio is the WMA/MP3 question. As a musician and former home recorder, this question always bothered me a little bit. So the biggest question really is what are the advantages and disadvantages of both? The second biggest question is what software is available out there for both? We'll answer both for you.

The WMA attractiveness comes from Microsoft's claim that this format is the most accurate audio format available to date. The Windows Media Audio (WMA) format is definitely bulky enough to back up this claim. Recordings of the same clip in WMA format will nearly always be larger than those of MP3s. Microsoft has tried to make up for this my having the WMA format play at a higher bitrate than MP3s. That is- make it go faster. A lot of people still aren't convinced.

MP3, MPEG3 or Moving Pictures Experts Group-Layer 3 all describe the audio format we all use in our MP3 players. The biggest advantage that MP3 has over WMA at this point has got to be in the file size. MP3 formatting of a recorded piece involves the elimination of the bits that the human ear cannot hear anyway. This can greatly reduce the file size, though Microsoft claims this degrades the quality.

At the same bitrate WMAs will sound better than MP3s, but some of this depends on source as well. For example, if you have something you ripped form a CD you own and- for personal use, have uploaded it onto your music player (legal disclaimer). If it was a bad rip, it's going to be more noticeable in MP3 format than in WMA. But overall you'd have a pretty special ear to tell the difference.

MP3 files are smaller by an average of 1/3 and that is an advantage to the format. On the smaller hard drives that came with the original digital music players, MP3 files were preferred because you could store more of them on a device. Now, this wouldn't seem like as big of a deal, but consumers have grown used to MP3s and they have become the portable music standard. WMAs are used on computers and in a lot of games for Windows where hard drive space and processing speed are not really issues.

Most "MP3 players" will play WMAs as well, that's not a huge issue there. The biggest issue is whether or not you want to deal with slightly less space by having WMAs over MP3s. Considering, like we said, the quality difference on a player is so small, it really doesn't matter. The main thing is being able to keep track of one format. Picking one and sticking with it is best.

If you have some WMAs and want to do a WMA to MP3 conversion, then feel free. There are all kinds of software packages that will enable you to do that. And you can even convert MP3s to WMAs, but I don't know why you'd want to. Just remember, like everything else in life, when you make a copy of a copy, it's never as good as the previous copy.

On the whole when you compare WMA to MP3 format, MP3 serves a much bigger audience and fulfills their needs just fine. While WMA format is in a lot of ways more flexible for the home record maker, the difference in playback between the two in nominal. It was a 4 to 5 split decision but when we went to the cards, MP3 won. - 32518

About the Author:

Zeeman Haus enjoys writing articles online on a variety of subjects. You can check out his latest website on Touch Screen Mp3 Players which provides top deals on touch screen MP3 players From Creative Labs, Coby, Visual Land and more.

Audio Mastering Ebook, Audio Mastering Hints And Professional Audio Tips

By John Cooper

Talented artist Manuel Marino has released a PDF document about Audio Mastering, a Mastering Guide that he wrote after receiving hundreds requests from his musicians friends.

You can find many books on the net and at your preferred bookstore. But what new musicians really need are few tips, to understand the basics, not huge documents with infinite technical data.

So he had this idea to write a "very simple" Mastering Guide, and, I must say, it is really simple, anyone can begin mastering with some success after reading it. He gives also a couple of "tricks" so you can begin really soon to obtain a professional quality master. Of course this will not make you a mastering wizard, but you can be sure your music tracks will be much better after reading it.

The price of this Mastering Guide is 5 dollars only, this is why the main purpose of writing it was helping his friends and of course helping you, the new musicians with their first audio tools.

There are artists, talented pianists and guitarists that consider Digital Audio Workstations like hard machines. They had only an academical education and it is difficult to explain them how dynamics works. Now with this PDF they'll finally grab the basics about compressors and dynamics.

"Manuel Marino is an old mp3.com artist who decided to be in the mainstream on his own after mp3.com's copyright event in 2000. His studio, Marino Sounds, provides audio tracks for videogame, television and multimedia projects at as low a rate as possible in order to actively encourage business from the indie scene. Projects such as Derek Smart Universal Combat and the X-com inspired UFO: Alien Invasion gave Marino a worldwide praise, and his current work on the Morrowind ITP (Italian Translation Project) comprises a further step towards the mainstream. "Being 'indie' is like being in family. I feel that other independent artists and designers are my fellows, and that they deserve my help," he told me. He's enjoyed the videogame experience so much that he's planning to establish a full-time developers team." (Paul Taylor, Music4Games) - 32518

About the Author:

Don't wait another minute and see this Mastering Guide immediately! Manuel Marino's Mastering Guide is $5 dollars only!!!

Learn From The Pros - Getting A Mastering Guide

By John Cooper

You might be able to use this article to inform you of the importance of using informative items such as an audio mastering guide in order to help you become the best sound engineer that you can in the recording studio.

If you are new to the industry of making music, than you might not be aware that there is much more to making a successful album than just recording all of the tracks onto your computer. In fact, there is a whole lot more than this.

One of the most unrealized and unappreciated aspects of the industry is the person who has to master the music after it is recorded. This process often takes longer than the recording process itself, because it is so detailed and precise. That is why it is important that you learn how to do it right if you choose to attempt it for yourself.

You see, mastering consists of taking the recorded music and, moment by moment, making it ideal for the listener's ears. That means a slow process for even the most experienced of engineers. But what do you do if you don't know what you're doing? Well, as much as you can aid music by mastering, you can damage its quality as well. You have to do some research to learn technique and "secrets" to the trade.

This might come through the purchase of a mastering guide. You see, with a guide from someone that knows what they are doing, you can step by step learn the trade. This is something that is often overlooked and for no good reason. You can feel your way around and learn for yourself, but it will be a long road littered with mistakes. Why not save yourself the trouble and take a look at specific material created to show you the ropes?

You shouldn't even think twice about nabbing one of these guides if you are the least bit doubtful in your ability. You don't even have to spend a lot of money for one of these guides either. I have found them as cheap as $5, which is quite a deal if you were to ask me. - 32518

About the Author:

It's easy to make a high quality, professional audio when you use all of the mastering guide information provided. Learn all of the tricks and tips for creating professional audio tracks today when you visit http://audio-mastering-guide.com !