An MP3 and WMA Primer D-2
Making MP3s or WMAs — encoding
Encoding is the second phase of making an MP3 or WMA file. Encoders are used to convert the stored
audio tracks, usually WAV files, into these formats. The encoding process is considered lossy
compression, which means that some data is lost during compression. However, using the standard
sampling rate and bitrates will ensure that your MP3 or WMA files retain much of their audio quality.
The standard bitrate of most MP3 files is 128 Kbps, although some are set higher, at 160 or 192 Kbps.
Higher bitrates will result in larger MP3 file sizes, with better audio quality. For WMA, it is touted that
audio tracks encoded with half an MP3 file's bitrate can offer similar audio quality. As such, 64 Kbps
WMA files are quite common.
Use Creative PlayCenter, Creative MediaSource or a number of third party applications (not bundled) to
extract audio tracks and encode MP3s or WMAs. When creating unprotected WMA files, ensure that the
digital rights management function is disabled. For example, in Windows Media Player, under Options,
click the
CD Audio
tab, and then click the
Enable Personal Rights Management
check box to deselect
it.
Summary of Contents for TravelSound MP3
Page 1: ......
Page 3: ...Contents ...
Page 7: ...Introduction ...
Page 10: ...1 About Creative TravelSound MP3 ...
Page 19: ...2 Setting up Creative TravelSound MP3 ...
Page 23: ...3 Installing Creative TravelSound MP3 ...
Page 30: ...4 Transferring Files ...
Page 33: ...5 Using Creative TravelSound MP3 ...
Page 40: ...A Technical Specifications ...
Page 42: ...B FAQs and Troubleshooting ...
Page 48: ...C Note on USB Compatibility ...
Page 50: ...D An MP3 and WMA Primer ...
Page 54: ...E Precautions ...