All About MP3s: How Do They Work?

At the end of the 19th century, Thomas Edison recorded Mary had a Little Lamb (the first song ever recorded) with his invention called the phonograph. The phonograph consisted of a tinfoil cylinder and a speaker that is reminiscent of a megaphone. From this moment on, recording audio has greatly progressed.

Wax, metal, and other materials shaped into cylinders and discs were used for at least 50 years after this moment in history. In 1929, vinyl records were invented and became a dominant format for the next 40 years. The tape was also developed at this time but failed to gain popularity until the 1960s.

The compact disc was finally developed by Sony and Philips in 1985 and, almost instantly became, a great success. In 1998, the device known as the portable MP3 player then made its illustrious debut. This invention has changed everything in the audio world. Now, the portable MP3 player allows people to store and play back huge amounts of music anywhere they go. The music files are so small that hundreds to thousands can be stored on an MP3 player.

For this to be possible, the music file must be compressed greatly. This is done by codec software that converts analogue music into a smaller digital file for use in the memory of an MP3. The air pressure waves that we hear as sound are referred to as "analogue audio" when recorded.

The construction of MP3 files can vary. Some are created at higher bit rates and some are at lower bit rates. The bit rate ultimately determines the quality of the MP3 file. A file with the bit rate setting of 128 kB per second is remarkably about 1/10 of the size of the original source.

When we hit the play button, the software embedded in the MP3 player reads the file and decompresses it, converts it to analogue, amplifies the signal, and transfers it to the headphones for our listening pleasure. This is basically how it works. The hardware includes a laser device that reads CDs just like the stylus works for the records in a magnetic head for cassette tapes.

Many more ideas are developing and revolutionary devices are constantly being created. The future of this industry is sure to grow and we will certainly see a wide range of products emerge. New features are sure to be developed as well.

Here is some information on the types of MP3 players available:

Hard drive players can have a larger memory, so they can hold thousands of music files, photos, or some videos. This device is about the size of a deck of cards.

The cheapest and smallest of the MP3 players are the reliable flash players. They contain no moving parts, so the battery power is long-lasting. The capacity of these players has reached about 4 GB and is sure to increase in the future. Today, the size of these players is about the same as a credit card.

Lastly, there are now portable CD players that can play MP3s, ATRAC and the WMA formats. Some of them can even burn CDs, which can hold many hours of music on each disk. If you don't have an FM transmitter for your MP3 player or Apple iPod, then it probably easiest to burn one of these CDs with hundreds/thousands of MP3s and play it in your car stereo, if MP3 playback is supported.