Sound File Transfer on the Internet

By Fred Bogert

Sending and receiving audio files over the internet is an evolving technology that promises to make life both easier and more exciting for musicians around the world. The present state of affairs is such that only expensive technology like ISDN dedicated phone lines are capable of transferring real time audio from station to station, but as the speed of personal computers and modems leaps ahead, the day is fast approaching when the internet will be a vehicle for transferring decent quality audio. The word quality is the issue here. I will explain.

The most common file type for PC's and the net these days is .wav. If your PC ( IBM or Apple ) has a sound card and a modem, you can send , receive and play .wav files without much trouble. Wav files can be found all over the internet, and can be downloaded directly to the soundcard folder for listening. Wav files can be sent by attaching them as files to e-mail messages.

Now back to that word quality. A stereo recording of a three minute song sampled at 44,100 sampes per second will convert into a wav file that could take days to e-mail to your aunt Louise. With today's technology there's just too much number crunching involved for this to be practical. Some sort of compromise must be made in order to reduce the file size of the digital audio. There are two ways most people reduce the size of their wav files. One is to make the file as a mono file, which automatically cuts the file size in half. The other is to reduce the sampling frequency to say, 22k, which will also cut the file size in half again. The resulting wav file is still enjoyable to listen to on your PC, but of course will not have the stereo or fidelity of a CD.

Sending wav files over the internet can also get bogged down in traffic, so if time is an issue, try sending your files during off hours to speed things up. And remember, folks, technology in this field is racing ahead on all fronts. Everything associated with PC's, modems, and the net is getting faster and more affordable all the time. There already exist file formats like .au, which compress audio into much smaller files, but file types other than wav will not play on most peoples sound cards. I would suggest getting used to handling wav files for now, so you can get comfortable with the procedures and prepare for the fabulous fun-filled future!

Fred Bogert - Harbormaster
Studio C Productions
30 Music Sq. W. #150
Nashville, TN 37203
1-615-259-2346
FAX 1-615-259-2346