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Converting to the MP3 Format

By Stephanie Ciccarelli

February 13, 2006

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Step by step guide to converting to MP3 with Apple iTunes

Greetings,

Converting files to MP3 from a CD is not terribly difficult, but it helps to have a step by step guide.

At InteractiveVoices, we developed a short tutorial on how to do this quickly and easily using your own computer. Here's some rudimentary info about MP3s and a guide to help you to create an MP3 file from an existing audio file.

*** This information is particularly helpful to voice talents that only have a CD recording of their voice-over demos and need to upload their audio to the Internet at InteractiveVoices.com ***

Converting Audio into the MP3 Format

The universal standard audio file for delivery on the Internet is called MPEG-3 or more commonly known as MP3. You should make your voice-over demo available in MP3 format for easy distribution to clients via email or for convenient download on your webpage.

The MP3 file should be encoded at the bit rate of between 128kbps (standard) to 160kbps (medium) to 320kbps (highest) for optimum quality yet maintaining a relatively small file size for delivery over the Internet.

We recommend that you use Quicktime Pro or Apple iTunes for creating digital audio and multimedia files.

If you are using Apple iTunes, follow these steps:

1. Import the CD into your iTunes player
2. Create a playlist for your recording(s)
3. Drag your recording(s) into the Playlist to keep it/them organized
4. Select the recording that you would like to convert to MP3
5. Click on "Advanced" in your iTunes menu bar
6. Select "Convert Selection to MP3"
7. Wait a couple seconds, and voila, an MP3 has been created!
8. Drag your audio to your desktop and name the MP3 file appropriately, i.e. jane_doe_commercials.mp3
9. Login to your InteractiveVoices account and click on your "Studio" tab
10. Upload your demo and give it a name, i.e. "Commercial Demo" to ensure success in one step :)

To see an example of what properly uploaded audio looks like, click here.

MP3 File Equation

When trying to estimate how large a file your voice-over demo will be in MP3 format, consider this equation.

â€¢ 1 minute of stereo digital audio, encoded at 128kbps = 1MB MP3 file

Best wishes,

Stephanie