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Choosing Audio File Quality |
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Audio files can be recorded at any quality desired. However, the better the audio quality, the larger the file will be and therefore the longer the download time. Music or audio (of any type, speech, sound, etc.) therefore puts you in the same position as image files. The higher the quality or the bigger the image/longer the audio clip, the larger the file size will be and you will therefore make your visitors wait. Practically, then you should choose the lowest audio quality that will suit your visitor's needs. That will enable the fastest download times. Below is a table of audio quality benchmarks that are commonly encountered. |
| Frequency | Sound Quality and Suggestions |
|---|---|
| 5.564 kHz | Phone call quality. Usable for speech fragments to ensure very small file size. |
| 11.025 kHz | TV or broadcast video quality. As heard before Dolby noise reduction is applied. |
| 22.050 kHz | FM radio or broadcast audio quality. As received on a normal radio with signal noise. |
| 44.100 kHz | CD quality |
| 48 kHz | Digital audio tape quality |
Kentie, Peter. Web Design: Tools and Techniques. 2nd edition. Berkeley, CA: Peachpit Press, 2002. 316.
It doesn't matter what file format you choose from the old .wav files to .mp3 files. Everything above holds true for any file type, though certain sound formats have better compression rates than others resulting in smaller sound files for the same audio quality. However, size may not be your most important consideration. MP3 files are the closest thing to a universal standard in music. If you want your website visitors to be able to hear your files, MP3 is your safest bet. Any user who doesn't have one, and these are few, can easily download any of the free media players from Realplayer, Microsoft, or whoever. Realistically, almost everyone already has a media player loaded on their computer when they bring it home, whether they want it or not.
| Author: | chroniclemaster1 | Date Received: | 2006/02/26 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Editor: | chroniclemaster1 | First Date Posted: | 2006/02/26 |
| Proofreader: | chroniclemaster1 | Last Date Revised: | 2006/02/26 |
| Researcher(s): | chroniclemaster1 | ||
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