Audacity is a free recording program designed with the user’s needs in mind. Unlike other programs, Audacity includes a wide assortment of tools and features that allow the user to record, manipulate, and share audio files. Audacity creates digital sound files from a number of sources including cassette tapes, vinyl records, minidisks, and even streaming audio with the proper software. Although Audacity can produce CDs and work with a number of audio files, it is first and foremost an audio editing software. Audacity is a completely open source and free Read More

MP4 or MPEG-4 (Moving Picture Expert Group-4), first published in 1998, was designed to encompass all the features that were part of earlier releases of MPEG files and add a few more that would prove helpful with the advancing online technology of the day. As a standardized group of video and perceptual coding formats, MP in general quickly became a hit with the average Internet user. The introduction of MP4 made it possible for the audience to continue growing by providing quicker, faster, and higher quality broadcast media for the Read More

Surround sound is a term used mainly in conjunction with a home theater system, where sound has been digitally processed and sent to multi channels, giving you the effect of being enveloped by sound. In order to experience surround sound, you must have a few components including a home theater receiver that includes digital signal surround sound processing, surround sound speakers and media that is encoded with surround sound data. Usually the media that have surround sound data are DVD movies. Surround Sound Receivers A surround sound receiver is the Read More

The WAV (Waveform Audio File Format) audio format is based on a format standard designed by Microsoft and IBM designed to store audio bit streams on personal computers (PCs). The format is the primary one used on Windows computers to store uncompressed or raw audio using the linear pulse-code modulation (LPCM) format. A common task that arises for consumers is to convert WAV to MP3 format in order to use the audio file(s) on portable music players that do not read the WAV format. Steps to Convert WAV to MP3 Read More

For many, MP3 is the perfect digital format. Music in this format sounds similar to CD music quality. MP3 files are much smaller than the standard CD WAV file and using MP3 is free. It seems the only drawback of using MP3s is the fact that most music is stored on media that are not compatible with computers and MP3 players. These media include vinyl records and audio tapes. To quickly and easily convert audio tapes to MP3 in order to listen to one’s favorite music ona computer, MP3 player, Read More

Removing the vocals from songs is a really great way to get custom karaoke and voiceless music without the distracting lyrics. The process is relatively simple and can be done with software that is available for free online. Using Free Software A free option to try is Wavosaur, which is available at www.wavosaur.com. It is an audio editor that is compatible with many different types of sound files and music formats. Download and run the free Wavosaur software onto your system. Note: You may need a decompressing software for Zip Read More

A FLAC player is one that supports FLAC files. FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) files are a type of audio compression codec that compress audio files to 50%-60% of their original size and decompress them to their original size without any data loss. As a result, FLAC files are much smaller than other audio formats. Though many devices do not support FLAC files as they do other audio formats, several major media players as well as all FLAC players support FLAC files. How FLAC Players Work A FLAC player is simply Read More

Acoustic impedance is a measurement of the speed of sound as it travels through a medium. It is very important in the study of acoustics because it can be used to determine the speed of sound as it travels through different objects and materials, such as rocks, walls, air, and water. By changing the experiment’s conditions, a user can measure a sound wave’s acoustic impedance and modify the wave to produce an ideal sound, a technique that is often used in music, construction, and even industrial environments. How Acoustic Impedance Read More

A backing track player is usually necessary for anyone who would like to perform live on stage. Whether you are singing or playing an instrument, unless an entire band or orchestra is available your background music will come from a backing track player. Generally speaking, the backing track player has changed in step with innovations in technology. For instance, during the 1960s most people requiring a backing track used the available reel-to-reel tape players. In the 1970s the most advanced technology available usually included cassette tapes. In the 1980s and Read More

The RM audio file type is an audio format designed by the Real Networks Company who also created Real Video, Flash, and Audio. The RM file is commonly used with Real Video and Audio and is used for streaming content across the Internet or a network. In order to play a RM file, the real player is typically required. As a result, to use RM files on non-Real Media players they must be converted to MP3 or other supported formats. To convert RM to MP3, the Real Player itself can Read More