SOUND BYTES
by Rich Studer
Music for Computers
Is my MP3 illegal?
I think MP3 is a well-known word for everybody who is on a computer. I won’t describe the process behind this compression technique, but I’ll make some reflections on the way MP3 are used and on some big cases this use has generated.
MP3 has become an important tool for transferring audio files on the Internet. Their light size (1/12 of the original) allows transmission of entire CDs in a few minutes (depending on the connection speed of course). It’s a valuable tool not only for kids but also for professionals. I was amazed when for the first time I was able to send a demo to a producer in 5 minutes instead of five days! Now I regularly send and receive MP3s to my clients and artists. More and more often, MP3s are also used in productions, like sports and broadcasting programs, just like any high-resolution media. If you’d asked me five years ago about the opportunity of using compressed media for broadcasting, I’d have answered that no, absolutely, broadcast uses only high-resolution medias… things change.
So MP3 is making everybody happy, isn’t it? Er,…not really, there is a big lobby that smells the scent of the money flying away. That’s the recording industry, and principally the Major Labels, owning 95% of the world market, who found themselves united in blaming internet file exchanges as a cause of their CD sales diminution (7 percent the first half of 2002). The army leader in this battle is the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) and the princess to rescue is the Copyright. I don’t know if RIAA sincerely cares for the intellectual property of the authors, but what I’m sure of is that they care about the huge business behind it.
The whole MP3 success is generating seismic waves for the established old-fashioned industry structure, based on almost one hundred years of compromises between creative and business heads. We must keep in mind that the entertainment industry involves thousand of people working in obscure roles such as administrators, distributors and marketing specialists who risk to become bypassed by the file-delivery technology, legal or not.
We may have, keep or change our own opinions about the Napster, Scour and Audiogalaxy cases, file-sharing sites that have been forced to shut down. But opinions don’t work much in front of the power of Goliath-RIAA, which in the case of Napster first condemned such style of trading and now is using the same technology to sell ‘legally’ the same files to the same public.
Other sites like Gnutella, Kazaa and Morpheus, that work on the peer-to-peer principle (there is no server but the hard disk of the users) are risky, as RIAA is mounting a political campaign designed to achieve the power to access individual computers to delete pirated songs.
The situation is dangerously complicated. On one hand we have the industry, which is understandably defending its business, and on the other hand we have the users who are fighting for fundamental rights like privacy, freedom and self-responsibility.
Personally, I think that the whole MP3 criminalisation story has gone too far and in a wrong direction. Illegal duplication has always existed; we don’t need to have computers to understand it.
Fact is that the industry continues with the same old approach despite the changing times. I think the industry should concentrate more on attracting the trusty public who are still buying its products instead of frightening them to death with its anti-terrorism preventive wars.
Man isn’t a thief by nature, but if you tell him to not steal, he will begin to.
Next issue I’ll talk on the subject of Internet radios.
Computers for Music
Production elements
In this series of articles I’ll discuss and hopefully clear up some concepts on modern music production. You don’t need to be a professional musician to read this but maybe you’ll become one!
As in every part of our life, computers have made an impressive jump in the audio production process. Where once you needed a room full of equipment, you can today obtain the same and maybe better results with just a computer and some cards.
Two basic principles:
§ Audio is CPU-demanding and RAM-demanding, so be prepared to have a powerful computer to make your virtual studio.
§ Audio quality depends on the audio card you buy. Don’t try to make a pristine, full sounding dynamic orchestra for cinema out of your $50 card.
These aren’t advertising proposals but daily reality establishments.
In music production, firstly you have the idea, then you record it, you arrange it, you mix it and you master it. Then you give it to a passionate editor who will care about the distribution to the audience.
We will handle some recording to mastering concepts with the help of our computer.
I divided this column in the following articles:
Hard Disk Recording and Sequencing
Synths and Software Synths
Samplers and Software Samplers
Plug-Ins
Mastering Software and CD-Burning Software
So see you next time for the first step: recording our brilliant idea!
Email: rich@invisiblerecordings.com
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