The IFX Group Audio Collection

Contributions are always welcome.

MP3 is short for Motion Picture Experts Group 1 Layer 3. Motion Picture Experts Group is a series of standards for compression formats that include both video and sound. 3 is the layer number (the music layer) of group 1. There are other groups, but that's another story.

MP3 has become the de-facto standard for modern music storage and transfer due its small file size compared to the raw digital sound found on audio compact discs. Small file size means short download time and with many Internet connections at speeds of 56Kbs or less, the smaller file size is important. One comparison to show the file size savings possible with MP3 is that you can easily get 24 hours of music in MP3 format on a regular 80 minute data CD that is at the limit to hold less than 1.5 hours of music in normal CD raw audio format.

Do MP3 recordings lose any quality? By definition Mp3 is produced by digitally sampling the original source, so it will lose some quality whether the original is analog or digital. However the term used to describe MP3 sound is without any perceivable loss in audio quality so that means you must be the judge! In the same vein CD's and .wav files are an audiophile's worst nightmare as a digital recording loses some of the original sound, it must - that is the technology. Compact Discs sound great because there is no hiss, crackle or rumble, but they do lose some ambiance, much like a digital piano does when compared to the real thing.