Newbie - Inserting audio files into a website questions

[Sean]

Hi

I have just started learning html and I have a project where I need to
put several audio samples onto a website so users can sample tracks
from a cd that they are trying to sell.

Q) Are there any freeware programs for ripping audio from cds and
converting them to a format suitable for the web?

Q) What audio format should I use?

Q) Should I have the samples set so users can download them or play
them online?

Q) What is the code that should be used to acheive these goals?

Q) what size should I try to keep each audio sample to?

Any other info and recommendations would be appreciatted.

Sean

 

[Michael Wilcox]

Q) Are there any freeware programs for ripping audio from cds and
converting them to a format suitable for the web?
http://www.google.com/search?q=cd+ripper+freeware

Q) What audio format should I use?

MP3 is a common standard.

Q) Should I have the samples set so users can download them or play
them online?

Just link and let the user decide.

Q) What is the code that should be used to acheive these goals?

<a href="music.mp3" type="audio/mp3">Sample</a>

 

[Toby A Inkster]

<a href="music.mp3" type="audio/mp3">Sample</a>

Should be "audio/mpeg" rather than "audio/mp3".

List of registered media types:
http://www.iana.org/assignments/media-types/

 

[Spartanicus]

Q) Are there any freeware programs for ripping audio from cds

Exact Audio Copy, note the risk as it is probably illegal to place it on
the web.

Q) What audio format should I use?

OGG is the preferred format because it's non proprietary, free, provides
good quality @ low bitrates and no licensing issues. Using OGG means
that you'll have to provide a page for people to show them how to
install the necessary decoder as most won't have it installed
(installation is very easy, decoders are available for all popular
players, including MS MediaPlayer).

MP3 is the second preferred choice, most people will be able to play the
format without having to install a decoder. MP3 quality @ low bitrates
is however pretty poor and MP3 has nasty licensing issues.

Q) Should I have the samples set so users can download them or play
them online?

Let users decide by providing both, use redirector files to initiate
streaming: http://www.spartanicus.utvinternet.ie/streaming.htm

Q) What is the code that should be used to acheive these goals?

Link, don't embed: http://www.spartanicus.utvinternet.ie/embed.htm

Q) what size should I try to keep each audio sample to?

Depends what it is (HQ music, normal music, speech) and what the target
audience is. Most users still use modems to access the net, so catering
for that group would be a significant plus. I'd suggest using mono audio
@ 32kbps, that enables people connected @ 40k or more to play your audio
streaming, and it provides a quality good enough for music samples.

 

[Whitecrest]

Q) Are there any freeware programs for ripping audio from cds and
converting them to a format suitable for the web?

Tons of them. Search google and you will be rewarded. I personally use
Music Match (it is free)

Q) What audio format should I use?

Probably Mp3 would be the best.

Q) Should I have the samples set so users can download them or play
them online?

Again it depends. What do you want to accomplish? Big question is who
owns the copyright for the music you want to play?

Q) What is the code that should be used to acheive these goals?

Either put a link to the song, or use the object tag to embed a player
on the page that will play the song, or use a flash object to play the
music.

Q) what size should I try to keep each audio sample to?

What quality do you want to give your audience? Smaller size = less
quality. A typical 3 or 4 minutes song is about 4 meg. at a 128K sample
(cd quality). You can go up or down from there.

Any other info and recommendations would be appreciatted.

You need to explain what you are trying to accomplish better if you want
to get more precise answers.

 

[Whitecrest]

Using OGG means
that you'll have to provide a page for people to show them how to
install the necessary decoder as most won't have it installed
(installation is very easy, decoders are available for all popular
players, including MS MediaPlayer).

Yea, your audience will rush to do that..... Maybe in several years ogg
will be a standard. But not today.

MP3 is the second preferred choice

MP3 is really the choice of everyone. This is why everyone sells CD/MP3
players and not CD/OGG players. virtually every Music site
(soundclick.com, mp3.com, garageband.com, Itunes, etc... server up MP3

Link, don't embed: http://www.spartanicus.utvinternet.ie/embed.htm

Accessibility is great unless it you loose customers because of it. And
depending on the use of the site, "boring" will drive more people away,
than accessibility will draw.

I find sites that pride themselves on their accessibility to be very
boring. But that is just me (and several million other people)

 

[Michael Wilcox]

Should be "audio/mpeg" rather than "audio/mp3".

I thought about that after I sent the post, but I found a few references to
audio/mp3 in some RFCs so I thought it would be okay. Thanks Toby.

 

[Michael Wilcox]

Accessibility is great unless it you loose customers because of it.
And depending on the use of the site, "boring" will drive more people
away, than accessibility will draw.

Well, the options are (1) The user has a choice as to whether the file opens
or saves, when to play it, what program to use, as well as the possibilty
for the author to provide several formats; or (2) The user must have the
sound play now, whether or not they want it, it must be with a player they
may or may not have approved of, it's only going to be in one format, which
may take a very long time on their connection, and they won't have the
option to download and listen without the annoyance of start and stops
common to streaming audio.

I like option 1 better.

I find sites that pride themselves on their accessibility to be very
boring. But that is just me (and several million other people)

Accessible doesn't equal boring. Accessible sites seem to me to be more
usable (imagine that), have more options, and aren't boring.

And I'd love to see that survey you took of several million people.

 

[Whitecrest]

I like option 1 better.

Then you are missing an entire sector of the web. Both options have
their place.

Accessible doesn't equal boring. Accessible sites seem to me to be more
usable (imagine that), have more options, and aren't boring.

We have different views of what boring is. Gee imagine that.

And I'd love to see that survey you took of several million people.

No survey needed. If no one wanted to see it, it would not exist.

 

[Joel Shepherd]

I find sites that pride themselves on their accessibility to be very
boring. But that is just me (and several million other people)

Frankly, if it's really just "several million", I'm not going to sweat
about it. Proportionally, too small an audience. DARFC.

 

[Alan D-W]

OGG is the preferred format because it's non proprietary, free, provides

Oh I don't think so.
Virtually everybody can play an MP3 right out of the box; that doesn't apply
to OGG which, despite Vorbis' best efforts, remains an unsuccessful
competitor to MP3. I'd dare to say that WMA is more likely to be playable
without downloading plugins etc than OGG and would be 2nd to MP3.
A

 

[Adrian Wood]

Oh I don't think so.
Virtually everybody can play an MP3 right out of the box; that doesn't apply
to OGG which, despite Vorbis' best efforts, remains an unsuccessful
competitor to MP3. I'd dare to say that WMA is more likely to be playable
without downloading plugins etc than OGG and would be 2nd to MP3.

The whole thing comes down to this; the day my DAP Jukebox supports OGG is
the day I convert/rerip all my music to the format. As it is now though, I
stick with MP3 because it's what my hardware player can use. If Vorbis could
only get support put into things, people would start asking question, and
the ball would start rolling.