Its use of Variable Bit Rate (VBR), discussed at length within Paul Sellars' exhaustive MP3 feature in SOS May 2000, allows you to make a quality‑based encoding through the selection of one of seven levels ranging from 'lowest' to 'highest'. However, SoundJam MP Plus has given me renewed confidence in the technology. It was thin, harsh, and tinny and reminded me of the way early CDs used to sound. I don't know about you, but I was seriously disappointed when I first heard an MP3 playback. The biggest enhancement, however, is in the improved encoding and hence playback quality. I mentioned this a few months ago, and Simon Trask reviewed v1.6 in SOS in March 2000, but much has been added in the meantime including MP2 support, per-track EQ, vastly improved playlist, Contextual Menu support, and many cosmetic changes including semi‑transparent skins. The Adobe Acrobat package contains everything you need to create PDF files, and the Mac has an equivalent one‑stop product for MP3: Casady & Greene's SoundJam MP Plus. SoundJam MP Plus includes VBR, allowing the user to make a quality‑based encoding decision A PDF requires the freeware Acrobat Reader and an MP3 needs a player, with Apple's QuickTime 4 system software providing the relevant vehicle.

Each can be sent as an email attachment via the Internet, which is how I got on to the subject with my friend in the first place: his writers send their demos in MP3 format.

In one this loss is visible, in the other it is audible. This was replaced by DAT and Minidisc -and now by MP3 which is the real point, for there is an amazing similarity between MP3 and PDF.īoth MP3 and PDF produce a non‑editable, compressed file and the creator controls the level of compression and also the degree of data loss. A music 'proof' used to be sent as a mix on an analog cassette. This has been replaced by Adobe's Acrobat PDF electronic format and few commercial applications now include a paper‑based manual. In standard publishing, proofs used to be sent on paper as a printout.

Each creates artistic products, is client‑based, and has to deliver proofs of the product to the client in a flexible format. Proofing music with MP3 and SoundJam MP Plus is on the agenda for Vic Lennard this month.Ĭhatting with a music publishing friend of mine, it suddenly dawned on me that there is a very close analogy between a commercial song‑writing studio and a graphics-based one.

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