How to convert cd tracks to MP3

Converting music from CD to MP3 is easy, there are loads of programs that can do the hard work for you. We have put together a series of tutorials explaining the ins and outs for the top 3 programs, but first a little explanation.

The process itself involves copying the audio cd to disk and encoding the data as mp3, mp3 is a standard format designed by the Motion Picture Experts Group hence the name 'mpeg3'.

To copy the CD you can use one of the programs listed and it will rip the tracks to disk. All the quotes in this text assume encoding at 44.1khz stereo, which is the same as CD quality.

Things of importance are the 'bit rate' that you encode the mp3 file at; For instance, a bit rate of 128/44.1 is more than acceptable for CD quality music. This will give you a healthy file size of around 1Mb per minute as opposed to 10Mb a minute for CD audio.

Why 128? well, some people think this is the average or minimum a file should be encoded too, we agree with this; for instance if you were to encode the mp3 file at a lower bit rate you won't gain much in reducing the file size but you can kill the overall clarity of the music.

Another thing to watch is that some people consider 128/44.1 to be too low in quality, and suggest 196/44.1 as standard. This is all very well and I must admit 196 does sound great, but its entirely up to you, the end user, as to how you want to encode your mp3's.

The best thing to do is try it with both settings and see if you can tell the difference with your favourite piece of music.