I-JAM Multimedia 100 manual Near CD Quality, CBR Constant Bit Rate, VBR Variable Bit Rate, Line-in

Near CD Quality:

MP3 files compressed at 96kbps are more commonly referred to as near CD Quality recordings. The next step up in recording quality is 128kbps, more commonly referred to as CD Quality recording.

A track recorded at near CD Quality will take up less hard drive space than the same track recorded at CD Quality. Unfortunately, you must sacrifice sound quality to save disk space, so the choice usually, is to record CD Quality tracks.

Tip: Near CD Quality is the default compression mode for the standard version of MusicMatch Jukebox. While you can record an unlimited number of tracks at near CD Quality, you should consider registering your program to enable CD Quality recording. Many discerning users find themselves re-recording their CD libraries at CD Quality after they realize the advantage of high quality audio files over saving a few megabytes of disk space.

CD Quality:

MP3 files compressed at 128kbps are considered CD Quality recordings. MusicMatch offers the ability to record MP3s and Windows Medias up to 320 kbps.

CBR - Constant Bit Rate:

Constant Bit Rate encoding is a method that ensures a consistent bit rate throughout an encoded file, potentially at the expense of audio quality and/or Encoder efficiency.

Use CBR encoding when you need to limit the size of the MP3 file or produce consistent file sizes.

Choose a CBR setting from 16kbps to 320kbps from the Record Settings screen to customize your recording.

Constant Bit Rate encoded files will be smaller than Variable Bit Rate encoded files of a comparable encoding speed. For example, a song recorded in CBR at 128kbps will usually be smaller than the same song recorded in VBR at 50.

VBR - Variable Bit Rate:

Variable Bit Rate encoding is an encoding method that ensures consistently high audio quality throughout an encoded file by making intelligent bit-allocation decisions during the encoding process. Use VBR encoding when consistent audio quality is the top priority and predictable encoded MP3 file size is not critical.

Choose a VBR setting from 1 to 100 from the Record Settings screen, to customize your recording. As a general guideline, a setting of 25 is approximately 80 kbps, a setting of 50 is approximately 128 kbps and a setting of 75 is approximately 160 kbps.

Variable Bit Rate encoded files will be larger than Constant Bit Rate encoded files, of a comparable encoding speed. For example a song recorded in VBR at 50 will be larger than the same song recorded in CBR at 128kbps. Not all mp3 players support Variable Bit Rate encoding; however the MusicMatch Jukebox player does support this technology.

Line-in:

Line-in refers to the source from which you intend to record, so just as you select your CD ROM drive to record an audio CD, you would choose Line-in to record from the line input on the sound card. An example would be recording from a different stereo source such an album or cassette.

Mic-in:

43