Demo: Making MP3 Files
Because compression by audio encoders are lossy, a sound file that is compressed to a greater degree will produce a lower sound fidelity. The degree of compression is expressed as kilobits per second (kbps), in which higher numbers yield larger files and better fidelity. Accordingly, an MP3 file compressed at a greater bit-rate will generally take longer to stream across the network, depending on the bandwidth of your Internet connection.
Below are three MP3 files of the same song "Imbolc", each encoded at different bit-rates. Download and listen to compare the download-speed and sound-quality differences of various bit-rates. These files will download directly to your desktop.
Imbolc_b32.mp3 - encoded at a bit-rate of 32 kbps
Imbolc_b64.mp3 - encoded at a bit-rate of 64 kbps
Imbolc_b128.mp3 - encoded at a bit-rate of 128 kbps
The following are .pls playlists of the MP3 files, which will stream directly to select MP3 players.<>
