SOUNDS DIGITAL - A column for digital music aficionados

A column that explores audio in the digital age, from music distribution, file formats and music technology, impact on the music industry, and how the artists themselves are embracing digital. Skewed toward music aficionados, this column isn't just about MP3 files, which are getting the biggest buzz these days. It also covers issues like: the use of computers in audio creation, live performances and Web audio distribution. Further topics ideas include Napster going legit, portable MP3 players, CDs and the death of cassettes, music store bankruptcies, digital distribution, digital copyright and the new “mixed tape”.

Audience: Anyone interested in digital music.
Author: Rob Wright
Length: 750-1,000 words
Frequency: Twice monthly.
Delivery: ASCII text, by e-mail or FTP
Terms: Single use and electronic archival rights. No resale rights.

Pricing: Pricing is based on your circulation or usage. We'd be happy to provide you with a competitive quote. Call Andy Walker at 510-548-4005 or e-mail editor@cyberwalker.com

SAMPLE:

MP3Pro ups the ante in digital music arena

By Rob Wright
Cyberwalker Media Syndicate

When the compact disc was created in the early 1980s, it was decided, somewhat arbitrarily, that the discs should hold up to 74 minutes worth of music. In computer language, that was equivalent to about 650 megabytes worth of digital data.

The data were stored in compact disc audio (CDA) format, which give or take a few ones and zeroes, was identical to a wave (.wav) file computers can read.

Since most single long playing (LP) records were in the 40 to 50 minute range, the new format seemed more than adequate at the time.

But the early 1990s saw the advent of competing digital formats such as the digital compact cassette (DCC) and MiniDisc (MD), which used a new concept known as perceptual coding to reduce the amount of digital data used in recordings. Also known data reduction or filtering, the concept is often mistakenly called "data compression."
The theory was that much of the audio data stored on a CD is redundant or inaudible, so leaving it out wouldn't hurt the sound quality. The trick is in deciding which data to toss and which to leave alone.

Each of the new formats used an algorithm that reduced data by about 4:1 -- meaning, digital recordings were reduced to about one-quarter their original size. Although they both had their critics, especially in the early days, it was eventually largely agreed in the audio press that their data reduction schemes were successful -- i.e. they were "transparent."

While the MiniDisc still exists, by and large the two formats never had much of an impact on the North American marketplace. But they were successful in legitimizing the concept of perceptual coding.

Then a few years later, when multimedia CD-ROM developers were looking for ways to squeeze as much video, text, images and audio as they could on to a 650 megabyte CD-ROM, the race was on for an even more efficient data reduction scheme.

A number of algorithms were floating about at the time. One of the most highly regarded was called MP3 -- or MPEG3, which stood for Motion Picture Experts Group Layer 3 -- was created by Europe's Fraunhofer Institute.

It was a versatile format, offering several levels of data filtering -- from the lowest quality of 64 kilobits per second (kbps), all the way up to 384 kbps. (The number refers to the amount of data that is read per second.)

At 128 kbps, considered by many to be optimal, the data reduction ratio was about 10:1, meaning a 650 megabyte CD could be shrunk to about 65 megabytes of digital data.

It wasn't until a few years later, when the Internet's popularity started to take off, that the format began to be widely used. That's when a young generation of Net users discovered that they could "rip" songs from their CD collection and trade them with friends over the Net's narrow pipes. With the advent of the Napster file-sharing service, soon billions of MP3 files were being sent around the Net.

The MP3 format has had a number of competitors over the years, as programmers tinkered with ever more efficient data reduction schemes. The most notable pretenders to MP3's crown have been Microsoft's Windows Media and RealNetworks' RealAudio formats. But MP3 still reigns supreme.

Rumours abounded earlier this year that the creators of the original MP3 format were working on a new improved MP3. That came to pass earlier this month when the Fraunhofer Institute and Thomson Multimedia unveiled MP3Pro.

According to its creators, the format reduces data at a ratio of 20:1 -- making the files about half the size of MP3s -- without sacrificing audio quality.

MP3Pro accomplishes this by using two separate streams of data simultaneously, instead of one.

MP3Pro players will play original MP3s, but they won't sound any better than they do through a standard MP3 player.

Will MP3Pro be a success?

On one hand, there are already billions of MP3 files out there that are compatible with the new format.

On the other, the landscape in the online music world is vastly different than it was just a few years ago.

Now that the big record companies have successfully used the courts to slay the Napster file-sharing dragon, we are moving into what might be called the "corporate phase".

Currently the Big Five record companies are in the process of forming coalitions with online content and software players such as Microsoft, RealNetworks and AOL in order to launch online music services. It's a grand experiment to see whether people will be willing to pay for music that they've been getting free for years.

But before they put their content online, the record companies are looking for a digital audio format that offers iron clad protection from piracy, and ensures that copyright holders are properly compensated for their efforts.

Although Fraunhofer and Thomson are hoping MP3Pro will gain favour with the large record companies, Microsoft and RealNetworks look to have the inside track.
Besides, currently MP3Pro has no anti-piracy code.

Plus, companies that want to licence the technology for MP3 players, will have to pay about $7.50 U.S. per unit -- about 50 per cent higher than the original MP3 licence.
Although it is mainly aimed at software and hardware developers, a consumer version has also been released.

Download a trial version of the MP3Pro encoder/decoder at www.rca.com.
Encoding on the trial version is limited to a data rate of 64 kbps.

Questions:  editor@cyberwalker.com

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