Personal Technology Information

By Jennifer Bailey

Choosing an MR3 encoder may seem simple enough, but true blue music lovers know that not all MP3 encoders are the same. Most of the MP3 encoders on the Internet can give very mediocre performances, if you do not use them well. Knowing how to manipulate settings can spell the difference between having poor quality or superior MP3s.

If you want to know how to use an encoder to produce excellent quality without having to search for hours and hours in the Internet, read on.

Maximizing your MP3 coders

Most MP3 coders that you can download for free over the Internet are already capable of ripping audio direct from your CDs and encoding them into MP3 format in one simple interface. Most of them are also easy to use. So the contention is not really about MP3 encoding features and user-friendliness – it’s how you set your computer.

If you just want crisp ‘CD quality’ music, then tweak your settings to a 128kbps bit rate. That speed is enough to give you excellent sound quality for regular listening.

But if you are very particular about sound and know much more about encoding than the average reasonable person, then amp up your settings to a bit rate of 192kbps. Remember that high bit rates translate to larger MP3 files. This is not a problem if disk space is not a concern, but if it is, then stick to the basic 128.

You can also choose to use Variable Bit Rate (VBR) that automatically switches the bit rate used while the song is playing. It switches to higher bit rate during more complex parts and goes back to basics when the sound is simpler. The VBR technology is a godsend for discriminating MP3 fanatics who want to save on disk space, but still want excellent sound quality. With VBR, you never have to sacrifice any of the two.