MP3 Convert Master > Support > Glossary
Glossary
MP3
MP3 is a sound compression format based on MPEG-1, Layer 3, which is the audio compression format used in the MPEG-1 algorithm.
.WAV
A wave file (*.WAV) is a compressed waveform file used for transporting sound files through The Internet. Waveform is a Microsoft Windows format, but such a file can be played back on other platforms (Such as Macs) with the necessary player software.
Ogg
Ogg is a free, open standard container format maintained by the Xiph.Org Foundation. The Ogg format is unrestricted by software patents and is designed to provide for efficient streaming and manipulation of high quality digital multimedia..
WMA
Windows Media Audio (WMA) is an audio data compression technology developed by Microsoft. The name can be used to refer to its audio file format or its audio codecs. It is a proprietary technology that forms part of the Windows Media framework.
Bitrate
Used to measure information flow, this indicates the number of bits (pieces of computer information) per given time interval. Digital audio is often measured in kbps (kilobits per second).
ID3
ID3 is a metadata container most often used in conjunction with the MP3 audio file format. It allows information such as the title, artist, album, track number, or other information about the file to be stored in the file itself.
MPEG
The Moving Picture Experts Group, commonly referred to as simply MPEG, is a working group of ISO/IEC charged with the development of video and audio encoding standards.
  • MPEG-1: Initial video and audio compression standard. Later used as the standard for Video CD, and includes the popular Layer 3 (MP3) audio compression format.
  • MPEG-2: Transport, video and audio standards for broadcast-quality television.
  • MPEG-3: Originally designed for HDTV, but abandoned when it was realized that MPEG-2 (with extensions) was sufficient for HDTV. (not to be confused with MP3, which is MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3.)
    		•
    Raw audio format
    A file type used to represent sound as pulse-code modulation data.
    Wave
    A single oscillation in matter (i.e., a sound wave). Waves move outward from a point of disturbance, propagate through a medium, and grow weaker as they travel farther. Wave motion is associated with mechanical vibration, sound, heat, light, etc.
    CD Compact Disc
    The most popular format for conveying music and data currently available. It is among the first digital media to take over from the analog formats of phonograph records and tapes; coming to the market in the early 1980's. Developed by Phillips, Sony, and Pioneer, it records information on the now familiar shiny discs by deforming the inner metal foil on the disc with tiny micro pits burned in by a laser. These pits taken together, form a binary digital code, which when converted to bits, then bytes, can recreate the original information, such as audio.
    Sound Waves
    Fluctuating waves of barometric pressure that travel through a physical medium such as air. An acoustic wave consists of a traveling vibration of alternate compressions and rarefactions, whereby sound is transmitted through air or other media.
    Sampling rate
    Sound files are created by taking "samples" or snapshots of sound waves. As the sampling rate increases, more samples are taken in a given time interval. The higher the "sampling rate", the better the quality of the sound.