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Book Review
When Yahoo and Altavista announced in July of 1999 that the
expression "MP3" had replaced "sex" as the
most popular search term on the Internet, it became obvious
to all Web-watchers this previously underground sound file compression
technology had hit the big time.
MP3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3) is a compression algorithm developed
primarily by the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany, which allows
audio files to be compressed by a ratio of 10:1 or better with
a minimal loss of quality.
The relatively small file size, near-CD quality and increased
bandwidth capabilities of the Internet have allowed the application
of this innocuous technology to explode in popularity.
Unfortunately, thanks in part to the rapidity of its rise from
the shadows of Internet culture to the mainstream -- and the
popular media's vilification of the format based on the music
industry's piracy concerns -- very little positive literature
about MP3 has existed.
Justin Frankel, creator of Winamp, one of the most popular MP3
players, has attempted to level the playing field with MP3 Power!
with Winamp. It comprehensively examines all issues surrounding
the use of MP3.
Despite being written by the creator of Winamp and president
of Nullsoft Inc., MP3 Power! with Winamp offers a balanced overview
of much of the leading software available to MP3 users. There
are sections on the most popular MP3 players, encoders and CD
rippers (software that reads and transfers CD audio tracks to
a hard drive).
Good coverage is given to creating your own custom CDs, from
purchasing a CD-R device to using the leading CD-R software.
Some attention is given to sound card issues, audio editing
and audio output considerations. A large chapter is devoted
to developing MP3 radio, where Frankel highlights SHOUTcast,
another Nullsoft Inc. creation.
So much software is detailed in the book that it would have
been prudent of the publisher to offer an appendix containing
a complete list of titles, with Web site addresses, of all the
programs, categorized under the appropriate headings.
MP3 Power! with Winamp is very thorough, providing information
on many peripheral issues, such as how to improve download speed,
how artists can market themselves using MP3, and where to set
up a free Web site to host your MP3 radio station.
There is a chapter on alternatives to and future development
of MP3, as well as tools and Web sites for programming MP3 applications.
Frankel even devotes a few pages to advice on Web design and
marketing.
Although some advanced users may find aspects of the book overly
simplistic, MP3 Power! with Winamp provides an excellent overview
of a very wide range of topics without ever losing sight of
its central theme.
The book includes a CD-ROM which contains all the software you
need in order to begin creating and playing your own MP3s, as
well as SHOUTcast, MP3 Spy, and various Winamp plug-ins and
skins (which allow the user to change the appearance of Winamp).
As with most computer books, MP3 Power! with Winamp suffers
from the usual number of typos, gaffes, dead links and other
editorial oversights, my favorite being: "This chapter
holds information for programmers who have an interest in programming."
These kinds of errors are so commonplace in computer books nowadays
that one barely notices them. Far less forgivable, however,
is the typo that occurs in the autorun.inf file on the CD ROM,
a two-line piece of code that is supposed to automatically launch
the user's browser. By misspelling "default," the
CD's authors have ensured that the autorun feature will not
work on any computer, ever. How does a mistake of that magnitude
get past the testing process?
Otherwise, MP3 Power! with Winamp is an excellent compendium
of everything a user needs to know in order to get started with
MP3. Frankel includes a few interviews with musical artists
to detail how MP3 is changing the way music is bought and sold
and to foretell the coming revolution.
For those wishing to find out what all the fuss is about, this
book is a perfect choice. It is a testament -- not only to the
popularity of a new technology, but to the power of the Internet
itself -- that a new expression, less than four years old, has
transcended its technical application, entered the common lexicon
and overtaken a word as evocative and ancient as "sex."
Reviewer's rating: 4.5 / 5
Comments: MP3 Power! with Winamp provides not only an excellent
introduction to using MP3, but this book covers a wide variety
of related issues, as well. Its explanations are clear and concise
and mapped out in a logical order. If a general overview of
all things MP3 is what you're looking for, this is it.
Title: MP3 Power! with Winamp
Author: Justin Frankel, Dave Greely and Ben Sawyer
Publisher: Muska & Lipman Publishing
ISBN: 0966288939
Price: $29.99 US, $46.50 Canadian
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