Technical Details

MP3

The MP3s available on somarecords.com are standard MP3s, compatible with the majority of hardware MP3 players and software. They are encoded using the lame encoder at 192kbit VBR quality level 2 with the appropriate ID3 tags added.

A large number of players are available for MP3s however the following are given as a guide:

• Windows - iTunes or Winamp
• MacOS X - iTunes
• *nix - XMMS

FLAC

FLAC is a relatively unknown audio format but is gaining popularity due to its high quality. FLAC files are identical to the original CD but they use special compression to reduce the file size without loosing any quality. If quality is a concern to you we always recommend that you purchase FLAC releases.

Despite FLAC's compression, customers should be aware that the FLAC downloads are still large and are best suited to a broadband connection. A full album is roughly 450MB and will take up to 24 hours to download using a 56k modem.

There are a number of software packages that can be used to play FLAC files, or convert them into more common formats suitable for any player. The recommended ones are:

• Windows
  • Winamp plugin - play FLAC files directly in WinAmp
  • Nero plugin - burn FLAC files to CD
  • dBpowerAMP - burn FLAC files to CD or convert them to other formats
• Mac OS X
  • MacFLAC : Converts FLAC files into WAV or AIFF, can then be burnt or played using iTunes
• *nix
  • Arson - burn FLAC files to CD
  • XMMS - play FLAC files

For more general and up-to-date information about FLAC, see its homepage

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