MP3
MP3 is short for MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 and it is the preferred audio format at The Mixing Bowl due to its compatibility and quality.
MP3 playback
Any hardware and software player/device can decode and play these files. A very good all-platform player is VLC, for the Windows platform the preferred choices are Winamp (the de-facto standard), foobar2000 (great sound quality for experienced users), and Apollo, the best "mp3-only" player on the internet (very often used by radio stations to broadcast mp3-based content).
MP3 creation
The LAME encoder is needed. Do not use other MP3 encoders (for example that one that comes with Winamp)! Encoding with LAME is very simple and easy:
- 3.97 beta 3 is the LAME version you need (download the LAME 3.97 beta 3 bundle from this page)
- The input file for LAME is most often a WAV file (CD tracks or recorded broadcasts with the *.wav extension). The general syntax (command line) for getting a suitable MP3 file is quite simple: "lame.exe switch input.wav", e.g. lame.exe -V 2 --vbr-new input.wav output.mp3
- Create preferably variable bitrate files (VBR) with a targeted average bitrate between 170-210kbps, if possible. Do this by using the -V 2 --vbr-new switch (alternative LAME VBR switches might be necessary for WAV files recorded from FM broadcasts, although the LAME encoder is very clever and the -V 2 --vbr-new switch is really all you need).
If you don't like the LAME command line and prefer graphical interfaces or simply - if you want to read a more complete guide then please read the LAME page on the wiki.
CD ripping to MP3
The best way to rip CDs to MP3 is with EAC. The following three EAC guides are very good:
