The MP3 and Internet Audio Handbook by Bruce Fries
A Book Review by John Calhoun
The book opens with an index, typical of all books. But immediately following, is a listing of all the tables in the book, and then all the figures. These are listed in chronilogical order rather than alphabetically. Following is the Preface, which describes the author’s experiences with his love of music, and the hassle of organizing music collections on CD’s, tapes, and records, and what led him to the extensive use of MP3. The Introduction then explains the MP3 music format: what it is; what it does; and how it originated. The Introduction also includes a section that is very helpful: it is a listing of each chapter in the book, and a short summary of the contents of each chapter. This is very helpful if you are looking for instruction in a particular area.
The book is written is easy-to-understand language. Words that are used to describe tasks in the MP3 world are clearly defined, so there is no doubt as to what the author is talking about.
This book also tells you where you can get music, how to download, and how to organize your collection. There are a lot of software programs that simplify this process, and these are also mentioned, as well as where to obtain them. Also included are short reviews of MP3-enabled CD players for the computer as well as portable pocket-sized players.
Chapters include:
Part I: Digital Music and the Internet
1. The Digital Music Revolution
Discusses why MP3 music is revolutionalizing the music industry.
2. Music on the Web
How to find, sample and purchase music right off the Internet.
3. Internet Radio
Lists Internet radio stations and its advantages over traditional broadcast radio.
4. Digital Music Distribution
The new generation of Internet record labels and secure distribution systems.
5. Digital Music and Copyright Law
What is and isn’t legal in the ripping, copying and distributing of MP3 music files.
Part II: Turning Your PC into a CD-Quality Jukebox
6. Getting Started with MP3
Overview of what you need to get started to obtain, organize and play MP3s.
7. Choosing the Right Software
Software needed to play edit and keep track of music files.
8. Choosing the Right Hardware
Explains the hardware requirements for working with digital music on a computer.
9. Organizing and Playing Music
How to organize as well as working with the features of MP3 music files.
10. Connecting Your PC to Your Stereo
Explains the best ways to connect all your stereo equipment to your computer.
Part III: Understanding Digital Audio
11. A Digital Audio Primer
The basics of sound and digital audio, file size, bandwidth and compression.
12. Digital Audio Formats
Explains digital audio file structures, audio formats, & streaming audio systems.
13. MPEG Audio
Technical details on MPEG Audio & how its standards relate to MP3.
Part IV: Recording Audio on Your PC
14. Hard Disk Recording
Recording from tapes and vinyl records, as well as analog & digital sources.
15. Digital Audio Extraction
How to extract (rip) digital audio from CDs and ripping software.
16. Making Your Own MP3 Files
How to create MP3s from uncompressed audio and how to record direct to MP3.
17. Editing Sound Files
How to clean up sound files before and after converting to MP3.
18. Recording Your Own CDs
How to use a standard CD recorder to create standard CD and MP3 cds.
Part V: Step-by-Step Tutorials
19. Basic Tasks
Downloading files; installing software; playing music; modify file type associations.
20. Software Tutorials
Step-by-Step instructions for common tasks in popular retail software packages.
Appendices
A. Interesting Websites
Addresses/descriptions of music-related websites: stores; radio sites; news; info.
B. What and Where to Buy
Hardware and software for working with digital audio on personal computers.
C. Recommended
For further study about MP3 technology, and sharpening basic computer skills.
The book even includes a free MP3 music CD by mail. Even the shipping is free!
This book contains anything and everything about MP3’s that you’ll ever need to know. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in MP3 technology, and especially anyone who wants to start an MP3 collection converted from old vinyl records, tapes, and CDs.
The MP3 and Internet Audio Handbook
By Bruce Fries, with Marty Fries
TeamCom Books
294 pages + index
$24.95 retail
Internet discount: $19.95
Adobe Acrobat Reader format: $9.95
From: http://www.teamcombooks.com/mp3handbook/