Unit 7: Creating your first mp3

An mp3 is a kind of computer file that contains audio. It is a standard format that can be played back on all modern devices. mp3s allow for a smaller size of file (a process called compression) than a perfect copy of a CD - which means you can hold more recordings in a given size of file store. However modern devices have such large amounts of storage that this compression is not as important as it was and because compressed files do not always sound as good as uncompressed files, a growing trend has been to use mp3 compression at it’s highest quality setting.

An mp3 file may contain sound, but it can also hold information about the sound recording such as artist name, track name, comments, copyright and images of album art. Much of this will be used automatically by music playback software found in mobile phones.

Our goal in creating a professional recording on mp3 is to include the same attention to detail as would be found in a professional recording being published by a record company.