How to make MP3 files

There are many tools out there that can convert CD tracks, WAV and other audio file formats to MP3 files. When encoding your MP3 files, keep the following in mind:

- Always try and "set" every configuration. Leaving your compression utility to "auto" or "default" is probably not a good idea.
- Do not use 32-bit float, use 16-bit.
- Ensure that the frequency rate is a multiple of 11,025. Flash is known to have "issues" when the MP3 uses a frequency that is NOT a multiple of 11,025 kbps.

Good:
- 11,025 kbps
- 22,050 kbps
- 44,100 kbps

Bad:
- 8 kbps
- 16 kbps
- 22 kbps
- 48 kbps

Recording audio

We recommend Audacity:
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

Convert to MP3

We recommend DBpowerAMP:
http://www.dbpoweramp.com/dmc.htm

When using DBpowerAMP we recommend these settings:

MediaCoder (Windows)
Good for converting to and from a wide variety of file formats. Good for batch processing and recursive directory reading. Robust and free.

The Wimpy Audio Encoder (Windows)
A simple program to convert WAV and AIF files to properly formatted MP3 files for Flash. Click here to download. Wimpy and free.

dbPowerAmp (Windows)
A small, right-click type utility that makes encoding an mp3 a snap. Good for one-off conversions.

LameBrain (Mac)
A nice CD to MP3 ripper / MP3 file encoder / batch MP3 encoder for Mac OS X. Click here to see the project directory. You'll want to download the file named LameBrain.dmg.gz.

iTunes (Mac, Windows)
Apple's cool music jukebox. Robust and free.

By default iTunes converts audio to AAC, so you will have to edit the preferences to get iTunes to convert the audio to MP3.

To create mp3s using iTunes:

1. From the iTunes main menu > Edit > Preferences
2. Click the "Advanced" tab, then the "Importing" sub-tab.
   Set:
   

1. Import Using:	MP3 Encoder
   Setting:	Good, High, or Higher are fine. If you use the custom setting, you may experience issues with playback speed.

   1. Click "OK"
   2. Click the "Library" item in the left-hand menu.
   3. Drag an audio file from the desktop to the open library window.
   4. Right click on the listing for the new file and choose:
      "Convert Selection to MP3"
   5. When the file is done, right-click on the newly created file and choose "Show Song File"

Troubleshooting

Songs play "too fast" or "too slow"

The issue with the audio sounding distorted (aka the "chipmunk" effect) is due to the way that the mp3 was originally encoded. Adobe Flash can handle most standard mp3 encodings with any bitrate. However, some mp3 encoders use "non-standard" encoding techniques that Adobe Flash can not handle... Namely the MP3-PRO encoding scheme.

When a file is encoded with the MP3-PRO setting the file seems to play too fast and makes the audio sound as if it were made by chipmunks. The solutions is to re-encode your mp3's with a standard MP3 codecs. Wimpy will support CBR and VBR encoding -- at any bitrate.

I recommend using dbPowerAmp to encode MP3 files. It's a small, "right-mouse-click" type utility that makes encoding an MP3 a snap. Using the standard settings in dbPowerAmp works great with Wimpy.

James Roy has discovered the following:
"I was encoding MP3s at 96kbps using iTunes. An MP3 encoded at 128kbps seemed ok, but anything else (even encoding the files first at one bit rate, and then another) gave me either a faster or slower playing speed. I was able to solve my problem by going into iTunes prefs, choosing 'custom' for the MP3 encoding, and then choosing 44.1kHz for the sample rate instead of 'auto'. Apparently when iTunes uses an auto bit rate, the Flash player is unable to adjust its playing speeds to accommodate the optimized MP3 file."

James Koenig discovered the following:
Flash goes all chipmunk on a LAME encode at 40kbps mono, but works at 32kbps.

Jack at Jukebox Alive notes:
For low bitrates (less than 32) I have the option of resampling at:
8 khz.
11.025 khz.
12 khz.
16 khz.
22.05 khz.
24 khz.

Of those, flash seems to only play nice with 11.025 or 22.05, it was defaulting to 24

John Henry Mostyn notes:
...A slightly more robust answer to the resampling issue for
users of Lame mp3 encoders, an additional call to -- resample 22.05
will force the sample rate flash seems to need for compact mp3s

"Choppy" audio playback

In general, dialup connections have trouble with streaming audio and streaming video. People who have modem connections usually understand the limitations on what they can actually do in this area :)

To correct the "stuttering" effect, try increasing the "buffer audio" option to a higher value. Something like 10-20 may work better. Or, you may want to consider reducing the overall size of your files by increasing the amount of compression you are suing to generate your MP3 files.

Initial MP3 playback for modem users may be "choppy." Once the entire file is downloaded, however, the file will play normally. In the current version there is no option to force the entire file to download before starting playback. This is something that will be incorporated into future versions. (Upgrading to newer versions of Wimpy is free.)

As for streaming videos, it all depends on how large the videos are in file size. For example, if you put a really large, high-quality photograph on the web, then modem users will have to wait longer to see it because the actual file size is large. Of course, people with faster internet connections will be able to download the file faster. The same thing applies with video, the larger the file, the longer it will take for modem users to download the file. The best thing to do is to test different compression sizes vs. quality.

There are two things you can do to minimize "choppiness" :

1) Use the Customizer Tool  and increase the "Buffer Audio" to a higher value. Something like 10 or 30 seconds will help. For dial-up connections, you may even want to try a higher number such as 45 or 60.

2) Install Wimpy into two separate folders on your web site. One for "Broadband" users, which contains higher quality (and therefore larger files) and the other for "Dial-up" users, which contains lower quality, and therefore smaller files). Then present the user with a choice prior to launching Wimpy.

The following chart can be userd as a guide when creating MP3 files so that you can encode / compress your MP3 files for a "target" internet connection speed.