Difference Between .MP3 And .WAV

Tolga Ulucay

MP3s are good files to use for the uploading of your audio discs. These compressed files are small in comparison to WAV files, thus making them ideal for uploading, please note however the MP3s are ½ the sample rate of CD quality. The audio reproduced from an MP3 file is difficult for the average ear to differentiate from the same audio played back from a standard CD. The best reproduction is accomplished by using WAV files. These files are generally 40 to 50 MB in size each. Uploading 4 or 5 WAV files is quite feasible.

There is a difference in quality between the two audio formats. The .mp3 format was designed for quicker file transfers over the internet. It is lossy data compression; meaning "insignificant" data is removed thereby decreasing the file size to approximately 1/7th of the original file size.

To the common ear, the difference in audio quality is negligible. To an audio engineer, or someone who listens intently to music often, there will definitely be a significant/noticeable loss in quality. There is normally a degradation in:

1) the clarity of the upper frequencies and

2) the "punchy-ness" of the lower frequencies.

Also, depending on the quality of the conversion, and bit-rate and sample-rate used, sometimes a noticeable "phaser" effect is introduced.

The downside to working with. wav files is the significant increase in file size. Uploading this type of a file will result in a much longer transfer time when uploading.

The answer to the question, "Is there a difference between the two formats?", is "yes". Is the difference noticeable? That depends on the listener and how "good" their speakers and listening environment are.

About the Author: Tolga Ulucay DiskFaktory Musicians Resource Manager & web designer(http://www.diskfaktory.com) Author's Personal Web Site( http://www.tolgaulucaydesign.com )

Source: www.isnare.com

MP3 News


Yahoo! News Search Results for <?=mp3;?> Q&A: MP3 pioneer looks toward new breakthroughs (Reuters via Yahoo!7 News) BERLIN (Billboard) - Professor Karlheinz Brandenburg, widely acknowledged as one of the fathers of the MP3 format, performed much of the research that led to the development of the now-ubiquitous audio-compression standard. Sony Walkman S-series MP3 player (The Register) One of the finest sounding MP3 players available Review Releasing two MP3 players onto the market at the same time doesn't strike us as a wholly smart thing to do. Releasing two that look pretty much identical and have equally silly names could well be the acme of foolishness.? Cyber Monday Amazon Sale on SanDisk MP3 Players (I4U) Amazon is continuing offering sales today, but does not call it Cyber Monday Sale, like it did last year. Amazon uses though the Cyber Monday Sales term for a special Cyber Monday Sandisk MP3 Player sale going on today. The special deals on SanDisk MP3 ... Fortunoff Features sonoro audio's Luxury CD / MP3 Clock Radios in Exclusive B... sonoro audio, German designer and engineer of distinctive, high-quality audio products, announced today that respected New York retailer, Fortunoff, will now offer the company's line of fashionable audio solutions to its bridal registry customers. sonoro's family of stylish CD / MP3 clock radios are... Take your MP3 player underwater (The Montana Standard) Remember the great aunt who always gave lame holiday gifts? Fruitcake, bright colored earmuffs, that horrendous denim purse. Digitizing your music collection--Ask the Editors (CNET) CNET Editor Jasmine France answers all of your questions about MP3 players, accessories, headphones, and more in this regular Ask the Editors feature. The Best MP3 Players, GPS, eBook and other Portables Gifts 2008 (I4U) We have compiled the best portable device gifts including mp3 players, GPS, eBook reader and more 2008. Time is running until the big present exchange. Use our Gift Guide to find the best gifts for your family and friends Our Top 10 portable Gadget Gift t... New Music: Robyn [ft. Snoop Dogg]: "Bum Like You (Remix)" [MP3] (Pitchfork) "You could be my dog," sings Robyn on " Bum Like You ", originally from her self-titled 2005 album . Better make that D-O-double-G: Snoop Dogg , who shared a "Sexual Eruption" with the Swedish pop dynamo in a Fyre Department remix early this year, comes back for more with his new ver... New Music: Jay-Z [ft. Santogold; prod. by Kanye West]: "Brooklyn Go Hard" [MP... Jay-Z and Santogold put on for their borough with triumphantly brassy production by Kanye West on a track reportedly intended for the soundtrack to upcoming Notorious B.I.G. biopic Notorious . What "Brooklyn Go Hard" boasts in bloggability, though, it mostly lacks in originality. Jay... New Music: Filastine [ft. Jessika Skeletalia Kenney]: "Fitnah" [MP3/Stream] (... DJ/rupture included a track by Filastine , "Hungry Ghost (Instrumental)", on his excellent new Uproot mix, and even total Philistines may have noticed something compelling in its chirpy, nomadic rumble. Speaking of ruptures, get a load of that rip in the space/time continuum: "Fitnah", f...