MPEG Layer 3 Information
All the sound files (WAVs) on this site are in the new mpeg layer 3 format. Basically, what the format does is compress the WAV file
without affecting its quality significantly. This enables a 30mb file to be compressed down to about 3mb! This means I can put up longer
sounds and a greater number of files. If you'd like to play these files, you must have the "MPEG Layer-3 Codec" (Motion Picture Entertainment Group Layer 3) .
The best way to explain a codec is that it allows support for different types of audio (you can view what codecs you have
under "control panel/multimedia/advanced in Windows 95/98" or "control panel/sounds and multimedia/hardware/audio codecs for Windows NT/2000" ). The normal codec for playing/recording WAVs is PCM; that's the standard for WAVs
and just about everyone has it if they can play WAV files. The codec needed for MP3-encoded WAVS is the Fraunhofer IIS MPEG Layer-3 Codec.
For Windows 98 and Windows 2000, the Mpeg Layer 3 Codec should already be installed. If you have Windows 95 or Windows 3.1, you may need to get this codec (I already had it when I bought my PC with pre-installed Windows 95). Click HERE
to see if your system supports this file type (you may have to click "open at location" if your browser isn't set to play these files when clicked on). If you are using Windows or an operating system other than Windows and the sound above did not play, look below to
see if something is available for you to play these files. I know it's a pain to install something you think takes up extra space, but this is definitely worth it (you'll get to hear all the WAVs on this site, as well as other sites that are just now converting to this format).
If, however, the sound did play, enjoy checking out all the Bat-Sounds on my pages!
Windows 95/NT Users
If the test sound above did not play you just need the mpeg
layer 3 codec (293kb) as mentioned.
System Requirements:
486/66mhz, 8Mb RAM, 6Mb free disk space (Win95)
486/66mhz, 16Mb RAM, 6Mb free disk space (WinNT)
Or you can install Netshow which will also give you the needed codec to play the mpeg layer 3 WAVs.
*Note:Microsoft attains all copyrights to this file. It is a free download available from Microsoft's website, but is being hosted at a site other than their homepage for quicker access.
Additionally, there is a new Windows Media Player on Microsoft's website available for free from them. This should give you the codec as well as give you some other audio/video codecs. The neat thing about this program is that it can run a vast amount of media that you'll find on the web (real audio/video, WAV, mpeg layer 3 WAV, etc).
Windows 3.1 Users
If the test sound did not play, you will need to install Netshow 2.0 on your pc. The actual Netshow program isn't what enables you to play the audio, it installs the codecs onto your system, letting you play the audio. I have not tested this out yet (I'm sure it works because there have been many sites that direct people to using this), but after you install Netshow you
should be able to play the compressed WAVs.
To download Netshow 2.0 click here.
*Note:Microsoft attains all copyrights to this file. It is a free download available from Microsoft's website, but is being hosted at a site other than their homepage for quicker access.
Macintosh Users
There is an Mpeg Layer 3 Player for Power Mac available at one of the ftp sites below. I do not have a Mac, so I cannot test these out nor really help you much with it, but from what I understand, it should work.
Then when you download a compressed WAV, simply rename it with an .mp3 extension (for example, renaming test.wav to test.mp3), and you will then be able to listen to it in the Mpeg Layer 3 Player.
Linux/Unix Users
I haven't fooled around enough with my site in Linux, but I'm sure it's possible to play the sounds with XMMS. I'll need to experiment some more and see if there is built-in support, etc.
WebTV Users
I'm not sure if the WebTV has had an upgrade for this yet, it's been a while since I used one. So, if the sound doesn't play for you, I'm sorry, but it may not be possible to get it to play with the limitations of audio codecs for the WebTV.
Other Platforms
If your platform is not listed above, don't fret--I decided to include only the major platforms at this time. I will add any additional ones that I find out have support for Mpeg Layer 3 Compression. If you would like to find out if your platform has such a device, go to one of the major search engines and try doing a search for "Your platform Mpeg Layer 3" and see what you come up with.
Other Questions?
If you have trouble with getting the codec to work correctly, email me and we'll see what we can do. I have used a majority of the operating systems above, so I am fairly knowledgeable with them. Thanks for understanding the reason I wanted to convert these to Mpeg Layer 3 format. I'm sorry for any inconvenience, but it really helps cut down on disk space. Holy Audio Compression, Batman!
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