How to make your MP3s sound, well, like music...

Life isn't easy, is it? Your .wav file sounds great, you spent 1004 hours recording and mixing the thing, you use your sequencing program to turn the .wav into an MP3, and GACK! A distorted mess that sounds like both of your speakers blew. Maybe they did. But either way, it isn't what it sounded like when you heard the .wav file. What to do?

Don't use the sequencing program to make your MP3s is the first thing on the list. CoolEdit2000 is the shit and easy to use. Music Match Jukebox is a freebie that does a fairly good job of converting .wavs to MP3s, at least they are the standard format that sites like MP3.com use.

The second thing to do is to make two versions of the.wav file...the original for CD-burning, and another one that you killed some of the bass on and broughtthe volume slightly down on. Mp3s don't seem to know what to do with bass and too much of it sounds like a slurpie just got poured in a tuba. So tone it down. Compression doesn't always seem to help much for MP3s,but if you have CoolEdit2000, the RealAudio Compander works great. Basically it pushes things in that are out and pushes things out that are in...and if you understood what I just said you have a job at Realcranky.com....

Cranky