MIT
Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Department of Mechanical Engineering
6.050J/2.110J – Information, Entropy and Computation – Spring 2014

MP3 Demonstration

Let Me Call You Sweetheart
    Lyrics by Beth Slater Whitson, music by Leo Friedman, 1910
    Selected one of the decade’s top five love songs by ASCAP

Approximate
Sound Quality
Length
(min:sec)
Compression
Technique
Type Sampling
Rate (kHz)
Bitrate
(kbps)
File
Format
File Size
(Bytes)
Compression
Ratio
Original File 4:42 none Stereo 44.1 1411.2 WAV 49,686,044  
Best quality MP3 4:42 mp3 Stereo 44.1 320 MP3 11,269,224 4.4
CD 4:42 mp3 Stereo 44.1 128 MP3 4,507,690 11.0
FM Radio 4:42 mp3 Stereo 22.05 64 MP3 2,254,263 22.0
AM Radio 4:42 mp3 Mono 11.025 32 MP3 1,127,131 44.1
Telephone Voice 4:42 mp3 Mono 11.025 16 MP3 563,722 88.1
Poor 4:42 mp3 Mono 11.025 8 MP3 281,861 176.3

Demonstration
 
This demo mix illustrates the tradeoff between audio quality and degree of compression. It has the first part of the song at high quality, followed by the first chorus at three different quality levels:
  - Through first chorus at original quality, 0:00–1:40
  - Repeat of start of first chorus at FM radio quality MP3, 1:45–2:00
  - Repeat of start of first chorus at AM radio quality MP3, 2:05–2:20
  - Repeat of start of first chorus at poor quality MP3, 2:25–2:40
  - Final chorus at best quality MP3, 2:43–3:37

Recording courtesy The New Liberty Jazz Band, from their CD Two to Two.
From the allbum cover:  “This tender love ballad by Friedman and Whitson was transformed from a waltz to hot jazz by the New Orleans Halfway House Orchestra in 1925. We follow in their path, adding a trombone solo by Jay that, if it conjures up a vision of Tommy Dorsey playing at the Totem Pole Ballroom, is probably due to indigestion. The band is especially proud of the cornet-saxophone duet noodle by Bobby and Bruce accompanied by Dan’s and Roland’s banjos.”

Album cover     Bruce Burrell, reeds
S. Jay Keyser, trombone
Bob MacInnis, cornet / reeds
Jack Phlan, piano
    Roland Paquette, tenor banjo
Dan MacInnis, guitar banjo
Pierre LeMieux, tuba

                   
(Note: Keyser is Special Assistant to the Chancellor, MIT, and Professor of Linguistics, Emeritus.)

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