Tag: mp3

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/18/17

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

Well, the mp3 file format passed away last week. The patent on the codec ran out and the patent holder is off to other things, and there are now more effective audio compression codecs around. Still, mp3 was revolutionary in its time so we dug in the archives to find this old edition that explains just how audio compression in general and mp3 compression in particular works. So long, old friend.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 11/6/14

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

Lossy music compression such as that used for mp3 files is based on the assumption that it is okay to throw away quite a lot of information from a sound stream since humans can’t hear it anyway. But is that really true? A new research paper says maybe not.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 6/9/11

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

It’s summer – at last – her on the coast of Maine and visitors are starting to arrive. We thought this would be a good time to dust off a few old chestnuts and replay them so folks who are visiting could give them a listen and so the rest of us could listen again. Here’s one about music fidelity, vinyl, mp3s, and the human ear.

Notes from Electronic Cottage 4/28/11

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

How do you prefer to listen to music – on downloaded mp3 files, on CD, on vinyl? On vinyl, you may say – are you kidding? Nope, vinyl is making a comeback, and audiophiles claim that’s because vinyl sounds better. Does it?
Listen up and see what you think.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/13/10

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

So what’s the fastest growing music distribution format these days? If you answered vinyl, you’re absolutely right, even though vinyl still only accounts for about 1% of music sales. But what’s going on – isn’t vinyl dead? Apparently not, and its proponents say that’s because the sound of vinyl is superior to CDs and certainly to mp3 and other compressed formats.Is that true? Well, if you look at the physics…