Smart Encoding Adjustments: Select to have iTunes analyze your encoding settings and music source, and then adjust settings to maximize quality.įilter Frequencies Below 10 Hz: Filtering inaudible frequencies results in smaller, more efficient files without perceptible loss of quality.About the patents and algorithms, they apply to the decoders just as well, no? At bit rates of 160 Kbps and below, this can improve the sound quality of your converted audio. In Joint Stereo mode, one channel carries the information thatâ€™s identical on both channels, and the other channel carries the unique information. In many cases, the two channels contain related information. Stereo Mode: In Normal mode, your MP3 files contain one track for the right stereo channel and one track for the left. Auto converts tracks that are already monaural into mono MP3 files, and stereo tracks into stereo MP3 files. If youâ€™ll be listening to your MP3 files using your stereo system, choose Stereo or Auto. In general, the best choice is Auto, which uses the same rate as the original music.Ĭhannels: If you donâ€™t have stereo speakers or if your audio files are monaural, choose Mono (mono files are about half the size of stereo files). CD quality, for example, is 44.100 kHz, so choosing a higher rate when youâ€™re encoding from a CD is unnecessary. Donâ€™t choose a sample rate higher than the rate used originally to store the music or youâ€™ll waste space. The higher the sample rate, the higher the quality and the larger the file size. Sample Rate: The number of times per second that the music waveforms are captured digitally. This can help keep file size to a minimum. Variable Bit Rate Encoding (VBR): This setting varies the number of bits used to store the music depending on the complexity of the music. Lower bit rates are more appropriate for sound files containing voice recordings (as opposed to music). The most common bit rate for stereo MP3 files is between 128 Kbps and 192 Kbps. Stereo Bit Rate: The higher the Mono or Stereo kilobits per second (Kbps), the higher the audio quality and the larger the file size. At the bottom is what I'd choose if I was going to use mp3 encoding. I'm pasting here what is in the itunes help information.

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