MP3/mp3PRO plug-in. How you can make an audio CD from mp3 or mp3pro files

Transcription

1 MP3/mp3PRO plug-in How you can make an audio CD from mp3 or mp3pro files...1 The mp3pro encoder...2 How you can make your own mp3pro files with Nero...3 How you can make your own MP3 files with Nero...12 How you can make an audio CD from mp3 or mp3pro files Launch 'Nero' and the dialog for creating a new disk will appear. Select as disc type 'CD' and highlight the 'Audio CD' icon on the left and the appropriate tab ('index card') will open. The 'Audio CD' index card will be on top. Activate the 'Write CD TEXT on CD' check box if your recorder supports this function. Click on the 'New' button. Now you only need to use 'drag and drop' to pull the MP3/mp3PRO files from the file browser into the compilation window together with your chosen audio CD selection. Change to the directory containing the MP3/mp3PRO files, highlight the files you want and drag them into the compilation window. Note the blue bar in the lower part of the window. It will show how many minutes of music or how much space is still left on the CD.

2 When you are ready, click on the 'Burns the current compilation' button or select the 'Burn compilation' command in the 'Recorder' menu to start the burn dialog. The 'Burn Compilation' dialog box will now open this is the same as what you see when you are making a new compilation. However, the 'Burn' tab (index card) is now on top. Check the following steps, paying particular attention to the writing speed and the method of writing. Click on the 'Burn' button to begin the writing procedure. Nero automatically decodes the MP3/mp3PRO files before burning and as a result you will receive an audio CD that can be played on any CD player.

3 The mp3pro encoder You can encode audio files in the MP3 or mp3pro format with the mp3pro encoder plug-in. An mp3pro file is about half the size of an MP3 file but the quality is the same. Both formats share the 'mp3' file extension How you can make your own mp3pro files with Nero Using Nero, you can create mp3pro format compressed files (*.mp3) in two different ways. The first method allows you to encode existing audio files (*.wav) that are located on your hard disk or a CD-ROM (but not on an audio CD). The second method permits the tracks on an audio CD to be encoded. With Nero, you can convert up to 30 files into the MP3 or mp3pro format and then obtain the mp3pro encoder plug-in from our Website. This permits unlimited encoding (into either the mp3pro or the MP3 format). (1) Encoding a Wave file Select the 'Encode Files' command from the 'Extras' menu and click on the 'Add' button. Change to the directory containing the files to be encoded. Highlight the audio file(s) that you would like to encode and click on the 'Open' button.

4 You do not need to highlight the selected file(s) because all the files displayed will be encoded. Click on the dropdown button in the 'Output file format' and highlight 'mp3pro (*.mp3)'. Click on the 'Browse' button in the 'Target file' area to indicate the directory where you would like the file to be saved. The 'Source file info' field is for your information and gives details about the quality of the file to be encoded. Click on the 'Settings' button to display the parameters for encoding. Click on the 'Enable mp3pro' button box if you want to encode files in the mp3pro format. Encoding audio files as mp3pro files is always bound up with losses. When encoding, psychoacoustic models are used to remove "inaudible" acoustic elements from the audio file. Most test listeners can hardly (or not at all) distinguish between the sound from mp3pro files that have been stored with a sufficiently high bitrate from the original files. Nevertheless, a certain loss of acoustic information is unavoidable. The size of the loss depends very much on two factors. These are first, the quality of the psychoacoustic model used for data reduction and second, the bitrate of the mp3pro file. Encoding quality: The quality of the psychoacoustic model with Nero is excellent. Naturally, a compromise needs to be found between the complexity of the model and the computing time needed. Depending on the intended application of the mp3pro file, the quality of the encoding (i.e. of the acoustic model) can be set at 'fast', 'medium' and 'highest'. With the highest quality, encoding takes place at approx. normal speed on a PII350, i.e. three minutes of music will be encoded in three minutes. At the 'fast' setting (and with the same hardware), encoding can take place at up to eight times the normal speed. The sound quality is already very good with the 'fast' setting and completely satisfactory for most applications.

5 Bitrate: 'Bitrate' means the number of bits stored per second in the mp3pro file. The higher this is, the smaller the amount of information that has to be removed from the original sound file. Therefore the higher the bitrate, the better the sound quality. Of course, the price paid for this sound quality is a larger file. The mp3pro file format lets you encode at either a constant or a variable bitrate (VBR). Select the option you prefer and specify the bitrate. Constant bitrate: A bitrate of 64 KB per second has proved itself to be a fairly good compromise between sound quality and file size. At this bitrate, audio files, very roughly speaking, are compressed by somewhat more than a factor of 20. This means that a normal track of around three to four minutes in length (in CD quality; in other words 44.1 khz, 16 Bit, stereo) can be compressed to a megabyte mp3pro file by these means. Once you are satisfied with the settings, click on the 'OK' button to close the dialog or make additional alterations to the expert settings. Variable bitrate: With a variable bitrate, the audio file is not encoded with a specified, constant bitrate but the encoding depends on the individual elements of the audio file instead. Complex elements are compressed less than simple ones, so that the result is an mp3pro file that depending on the desired quality offers the best possible, loss-free result. The 'Medium quality' has proved itself to be a fairly good compromise between sound quality and file size. At this bitrate, audio files, very roughly speaking, are compressed by somewhat more than a factor of 20. This means that a normal track of around three to four minutes in length (in CD quality; in other words 44.1 khz, 16 Bit, stereo) can be compressed to a megabyte MP3 file by these means. Once you are satisfied with the settings, click on the 'OK' button to close the dialog or make additional alterations to the expert settings.

6 Expert settings If you click on the 'Expert' button, the dialog will be extended, allowing special options to be chosen that are not relevant to the 'normal' user. Original bit: This means that the mp3pro file is an original and not a copy. This information can be important in relation to future copy protection options and is also of value to the user for information purposes. Private bit: The user can set this bit however he or she wants. It has been conceived primarily for those users who want to decode or evaluate mp3pro files. The bit is stored in the mp3pro file, but nearly all programs ignore it. Copyright bit: This bit means that the mp3pro file concerned is copyright-protected. In addition, it is used for SCMS (Serial Copy Management System). However, it does not have (or at least currently does not have) any influence when playing or burning the files. Write CRC: By setting this bit, checksums (proof totals) are also stored. These recognize defective sections of the file (which may have arisen from incorrect data transfer from the Internet, etc.). However, many decoders ignore this checksum information, while others reproduce a defective mp3pro section as silence, in order to avoid sound interference in a defective part of the file. The mp3pro file will be very slightly larger if this option is chosen. Allow intensity stereo coding: Setting this option permits the use of a special type of that only saves directional information and volume for high frequencies. This option should normally be activated. Allow downmix: This option makes it possible to 'downmix' the input signal from stereo to mono. This has advantages when encoding a stereo source with a very low data rate - and where encoding in mono only would make sense. Padding: Because mp3pro blocks within an mp3pro file can be of different sizes and because some mp3pro player programs cannot cope with MP3PRO different sized blocks, this option can be selected to specify how to deal with mp3pro blocks of different size. The default setting with Nero is 'ISO', in other words, the procedure spelled out in the ISO-MP3PRO standard. 'Always' and 'never', as the names suggest, "top up" the differently sized mp3pro blocks (in every case or not at all). Once you are satisfied with the settings, click on the 'OK' button to close the dialog or make additional alterations to the expert settings.

7 Click on 'OK' if you are satisfied with the settings and to close the dialog. Click on the GO' button to begin encoding. A window will appear and inform you of the progress of the encoding procedure.

8 (2) Encoding audio CD tracks Select the 'Save Tracks' command in the 'Extras' menu. A window will open and show all the disk drives installed, i.e. the recorder, the 'normal' CD- ROM/DVD drive and (if appropriate) a Nero ImageDrive. Select the CD drive containing the original audio CD and click on 'OK'. A window will now appear with a list of the audio tracks that can be found on the original CD. Clicking on the play button will play the highlighted track, so that you can check which tracks need to be encoded before you start the encoding process. Highlight the file(s) to be encoded. Click on the dropdown button in the 'Output file format' and highlight 'mp3pro (*.mp3)'. At 'Path', specify the target directory where the mp3pro files is to be stored. In the 'File name creation method' field, specify how the name of the mp3pro file is to be created. If the CD is recognized and the name of the artist and title of the track are known, the 'Manual' method can be used to create an mp3pro file in the 'Artist Title.mp3' format. In a similar way to the encoding of files on the hard disk, you can specify which parameters should be applied when encoding. Click on the 'Settings' button to display the parameters. Click on the 'Enable mp3pro' button if you want to encode files in the mp3pro format. Encoding audio files as mp3pro files is always bound up with losses. When encoding, psychoacoustic models are used to remove "inaudible" acoustic elements from the audio file. Most test listeners can hardly (or not at all) distinguish between the sound from mp3pro files that have been stored with a sufficiently high bitrate from the original files. Nevertheless, a certain loss of acoustic information is unavoidable. The size of the loss depends very much on two factors. These are first, the quality of the psychoacoustic model used for data reduction and second, the bitrate of the mp3pro file.

9 Encoding quality: The quality of the psychoacoustic model with Nero is excellent. Naturally, a compromise needs to be found between the complexity of the model and the computing time needed. Depending on the intended application of the mp3pro file, the quality of the encoding (i.e. of the acoustic model) can be set at 'fast', 'medium' and 'highest'. With the highest quality, encoding takes place at approx. normal speed on a PII350, i.e. three minutes of music will be encoded in three minutes. At the 'fast' setting (and with the same hardware), encoding can take place at up to eight times the normal speed. The sound quality is already very good with the 'fast' setting and completely satisfactory for most applications. Bitrate: 'Bitrate' means the number of bits stored per second in the mp3 file. The higher this is, the smaller the amount of information that has to be removed from the original sound file. Therefore the higher the bitrate, the better the sound quality. Of course, the price paid for this sound quality is a larger file. The mp3pro file format lets you encode at either a constant or a variable bitrate (VBR). Select the option you prefer and specify the bitrate. Constant bitrate: A bitrate of 64 KB per second has proved itself to be a fairly good compromise between sound quality and file size. At this bitrate, audio files, very roughly speaking, are compressed by somewhat more than a factor of 20. This means that a normal track of around three to four minutes in length (in CD quality; in other words 44.1 khz, 16 Bit, stereo) can be compressed to a megabyte mp3pro file by these means. Once you are satisfied with the settings, click on the 'OK' button to close the dialog or make additional alterations to the expert settings.

10 Variable bitrate: With a variable bitrate, the audio file is not encoded with a specified, constant bitrate but the encoding depends on the individual elements of the audio file instead. Complex elements are compressed less than simple ones, so that the result is an mp3pro file that depending on the desired quality offers the best possible, loss-free result. The medium quality has proved itself to be a fairly good compromise between sound quality and file size. At this bitrate, audio files, very roughly speaking, are compressed by somewhat more than a factor of 20. This means that a normal track of around three to four minutes in length (in CD quality; in other words 44.1 khz, 16 Bit, stereo) can be compressed to a megabyte MP3 file by these means. Once you are satisfied with the settings, click on the 'OK' button to close the dialog or make additional alterations to the expert settings. Expert settings If you click on the 'Expert' button, the dialog will be extended, allowing special options to be chosen that are not relevant to the 'normal' user. Original bit: This means that the mp3pro file is an original and not a copy. This information can be important in relation to future copy protection options and is also of value to the user for information purposes. Private bit: The user can set this bit however he or she wants. It has been conceived primarily for those users who want to decode or evaluate mp3pro files. The bit is stored in the mp3pro file, but nearly all programs ignore it. Copyright bit: This bit means that the mp3pro file concerned is copyright-protected. In addition, it is used for SCMS (Serial Copy Management System). However, it does not have (or at least currently does not have) any influence when playing or burning the files. Write CRC: By setting this bit, checksums (proof totals) are also stored. These recognize defective sections of the file (which may have arisen from incorrect data transfer from the Internet, etc.). However, many decoders ignore this checksum information, while others reproduce a defective mp3pro section as silence, in order to avoid sound interference in a defective part of the file. The mp3pro file will be very slightly larger if this option is chosen. Allow intensity stereo coding: Setting this option permits the use of a special type of that only saves directional information and volume for high frequencies. This option should normally be activated.

11 Allow Downmix: This option makes it possible to 'downmix' the input signal from stereo to mono. This has advantages when encoding a stereo source with a very low data rate - and where encoding in mono only would make sense. Padding: Because mp3pro blocks within an mp3pro file can be of different sizes and because some mp3pro player programs cannot cope with MP3PRO different sized blocks, this option can be selected to specify how to deal with mp3pro blocks of different size. The default setting with Nero is 'ISO', in other words, the procedure spelled out in the ISO-MP3PRO standard. 'Always' and 'never', as the names suggest, "top up" the differently sized mp3pro blocks (in every case or not at all). Click on 'OK' if you are satisfied with the settings and to close the dialog Click on the GO' button to begin encoding. A window will appear and inform you of the progress of the encoding procedure.

12 How you can make your own MP3 files with Nero Using Nero, you can create MP3 format compressed files (*.mp3) in two different ways. The first method allows you to encode existing audio files (*.wav) that are located on your hard disk or a CD-ROM (but not on an audio CD). The second method permits the tracks on an audio CD to be encoded. With Nero, you can convert up to 30 files into the MP3 or mp3pro format and then obtain the mp3pro encoder plug-in from our Website. This permits unlimited encoding (into either the mp3pro or the MP3 format). (1) Encoding a Wave file Select the 'Encode Files' command from the 'Extras' menu and click on the 'Add' button. Change to the directory containing the files to be encoded. Highlight the audio file(s) that you would like to encode and click on the 'Open' button. You do not need to highlight the selected file(s) because all the files displayed will be encoded. Click on the dropdown button in the 'Output file format' and highlight 'mp3pro (*.mp3)'. Click on the 'Browse' button in the 'Target file' area to indicate the directory where you would like the file to be saved. The 'Source file info' field is for your information and gives details about the quality of the file to be encoded. Click on the 'Settings' button to display the parameters.

13 Click on the 'Enable mp3pro' button again if mp3pro is activated and if you want to encode files in the MP3 format. Encoding audio files as MP3 files is always bound up with losses. When encoding, psychoacoustic models are used to remove "inaudible" acoustic elements from the audio file. Most test listeners can hardly (or not at all) distinguish between the sound from MP3 files that have been stored with a sufficiently high bitrate from the original files. Nevertheless, a certain loss of acoustic information is unavoidable. The size of the loss depends very much on two factors. These are first, the quality of the psychoacoustic model used for data reduction and second, the bitrate of the MP3 file. Encoding quality: The quality of the psychoacoustic model with Nero is excellent. Naturally, a compromise needs to be found between the complexity of the model and the computing time needed. Depending on the intended application of the MP3 file, the quality of the encoding (i.e. of the acoustic model) can be set at 'fast', 'medium' and 'highest'. With the highest quality, encoding takes place at approx. normal speed on a PII350, i.e. three minutes of music will be encoded in three minutes. At the 'fast' setting (and with the same hardware), encoding can take place at up to eight times the normal speed. The sound quality is already very good with the 'fast' setting and completely satisfactory for most applications. Bitrate: 'Bitrate' means the number of bits stored per second in the MP3 file. The higher this is, the smaller the amount of information that has to be removed from the original sound file. Therefore the higher the bitrate, the better the sound quality. Of course, the price paid for this sound quality is a larger file. The MP3 file format lets you encode at either a constant or a variable bitrate (VBR). Select the option you prefer and specify the bitrate.

14 Constant bitrate: A bitrate of 128 KB per second has proved itself to be a fairly good compromise between sound quality and file size. At this bitrate, audio files, very roughly speaking, are compressed by somewhat more than a factor of 10. This means that a normal track of around three to four minutes in length (in CD quality; in other words 44.1 khz, 16 Bit, stereo) can be compressed to a 3-4 megabyte MP3 file by these means. Once you are satisfied with the settings, click on the 'OK' button to close the dialog or make additional alterations to the expert settings. Variable bitrate: With a variable bitrate, the audio file is not encoded with a specified, constant bitrate but the encoding depends on the individual elements of the audio file instead. Complex elements are compressed less than simple ones, so that the result is an MP3 file that depending on the desired quality offers the best possible, loss-free result. The medium quality has proved itself to be a fairly good compromise between sound quality and file size. At this bitrate, audio files, very roughly speaking, are compressed by somewhat more than a factor of 10. This means that a normal track of around three to four minutes in length (in CD quality; in other words 44.1 khz, 16 Bit, stereo) can be compressed to a 3-4 megabyte MP3 file by these means. Once you are satisfied with the settings, click on the 'OK' button to close the dialog or make additional alterations to the expert settings. Expert features The expert features for mp3 encoding are identical to those available for mp3pro encoding and are therefore not explained in detail at this point. Please read the appropriate sections concerned.

15 Click on 'OK' if you are satisfied with the settings and to close the dialog. Click on the Go' button to begin encoding. A window will appear and inform you of the progress of the encoding procedure.

16 (2) Encoding audio CD tracks Select the 'Save Tracks' command in the 'Extras' menu. A window will open and show all the disk drives installed, i.e. the recorder, the 'normal' CD- ROM/DVD drive and (if appropriate) a Nero ImageDrive. Select the CD drive containing the original audio CD and click on 'OK'. A window will now appear with a list of the audio tracks that can be found on the original CD. Clicking on the play button will play the highlighted track, so that you can check which tracks need to be encoded before you start the encoding process. Highlight the file(s) to be encoded. Click on the dropdown button in the 'Output file format' and highlight 'mp3pro (*.mp3)'. At 'Path', specify the target directory where the MP3 files are to be stored. In the 'File name creation method' field, specify how the name of the MP3 file is to be created. If the CD is recognized and the name of the artist and title of the track are known, the 'Manual' method can be used to create an MP3 file in the 'Artist Title.mp3' format. In a similar way to the encoding of files on the hard disk, you can specify which parameters should be applied when encoding. Click on the 'Settings' button to display the parameters. Click on the 'Enable mp3pro' button again if mp3pro is activated and if you want to encode files in the MP3 format. Encoding audio files as MP3 files is always bound up with losses. When encoding, psychoacoustic models are used to remove "inaudible" acoustic elements from the audio file. Most test listeners can hardly (or not at all) distinguish between the sound from MP3 files that have been stored with a sufficiently high bitrate from the original files. Nevertheless, a certain loss of acoustic information is unavoidable. The size of the loss depends very much on two factors. These are first, the quality of the psychoacoustic model used for data reduction and second, the bitrate of the MP3 file.

17 Encoding quality: The quality of the psychoacoustic model with Nero is excellent. Naturally, a compromise needs to be found between the complexity of the model and the computing time needed. Depending on the intended application of the MP3 file, the quality of the encoding (i.e. of the acoustic model) can be set at 'fast', 'medium' and 'highest'. With the highest quality, encoding takes place at approx. normal speed on a PII350, i.e. three minutes of music will be encoded in three minutes. At the 'fast' setting (and with the same hardware), encoding can take place at up to eight times the normal speed. The sound quality is already very good with the 'fast' setting and completely satisfactory for most applications. Bitrate: 'Bitrate' means the number of bits stored per second in the MP3 file. The higher this is, the smaller the amount of information that has to be removed from the original sound file. Therefore the higher the bitrate, the better the sound quality. Of course, the price paid for this sound quality is a larger file. The MP3 file format lets you encode at either a constant or a variable bitrate (VBR). Select the option you prefer and specify the bitrate. Constant bitrate: A bitrate of 128 KB per second has proved itself to be a fairly good compromise between sound quality and file size. At this bitrate, audio files, very roughly speaking, are compressed by somewhat more than a factor of 10. This means that a normal track of around three to four minutes in length (in CD quality; in other words 44.1 khz, 16 Bit, stereo) can be compressed to a 3-4 megabyte MP3 file by these means. Once you are satisfied with the settings, click on the 'OK' button to close the dialog or make additional alterations to the expert settings.

18 Variable bitrate: With a variable bitrate, the audio file is not encoded with a specified, constant bitrate but the encoding depends on the individual elements of the audio file instead. Complex elements are compressed less than simple ones, so that the result is an MP3 file that depending on the desired quality offers the best possible, loss-free result. The medium quality has proved itself to be a fairly good compromise between sound quality and file size. At this bitrate, audio files, very roughly speaking, are compressed by somewhat more than a factor of 10. This means that a normal track of around three to four minutes in length (in CD quality; in other words 44.1 khz, 16 Bit, stereo) can be compressed to a 3-4 megabyte MP3 file by these means. Once you are satisfied with the settings, click on the 'OK' button to close the dialog or make additional alterations to the expert settings. Expert features The expert features for MP3 encoding are identical to those available for mp3pro encoding and are therefore not explained in detail at this point. Please read the appropriate sections concerned. Click on 'OK' if you are satisfied with the settings and to close the dialog. Click on the 'Go' button to begin encoding. A window will appear and inform you of the progress of the encoding procedure.