What is MP3?
MP3 is a relatively new standard for audio files which is taking the world wide web by storm.
MP3 combines high compression (for speedy download) with high sound quality. All audio files in the Didjshop web site are in MP3
format and are identified by this speaker symbol:
How do I play MP3 files on this site?
Because of the wide variety of operating systems, web browsers and plug-ins in use, it's impossible to provide one simple statement
which correctly advises all newcomers to MP3 how best to download and play these files.
If you're not sure whether you can play MP3 files, the first step is to try! Click on one of the sound links in this site, such
as one of the ten links higher up this page
This should trigger a download of the MP3 sound file to your hard drive.
If you're using a recent web browser (Netscape version 4+ or Internet Explorer version 4+), on the Windows or Macintosh platforms,
you may find the file downloads, automatically locates and launches a suitable MP3 player application, and plays the sound. It may even start playing
while the file is downloading ('streaming audio').
If that doesn't happen, you need to do one or more of the following:
- upgrade your web browser
- download and install a suitable MP3 player plug-in / application
- reconfigure your web browser
Excellent up-to date advice on how to do these things can be found in various places on the web. We recommend the web site askMP3.com.
The same site also features a page called MP3 Software Players which
gives easy-to-follow, current advice on getting set up for MP3. It covers most well-known operating systems, web browsers etc.
Saving Didj Sounds to Compare Later
Make sure you remember where you save the sound files you download!
Play them back at your leisure to help decide on the didj that best suits your musical taste. You can set Windows Media Player
and many other MP3 players to open different windows for each sound file (check their help files to see how to do this). This allows you to directly
compare small sections in two or more sound files.
Every sound file in the Didjshop - except the 'generic' sounds on this page - is named after the specific product code for that
individual didjeridoo. All these didj product codes start with two letters followed by three numbers i.e. aa035.
This helps you ensure you order the right didj from our shop. If you choose a didj by it's sound file (eg. aa035.mp3), take care
to order the didj with the corresponding product code (in this case, aa035).
Different Size Sound Files
The individual sound files for a didj are on it's product page. You get to this page by clicking on the picture or the
'More Info' link of a didj on its department page (a department page is where you see a list of didjes with their thumbnail images - go
to our Shop Front to see a list of all our shop department pages).
On a product page with sound files, you will see two sound icons which look like this: .
One is labelled 'high quality'. This is a streaming 64bit mp3 file. If your MP3 player supports streaming and you are not on a
very slow connection, this will give you the best experience.
The other sound file is labelled 'fast loading'. It is a non-streaming 24bit MP3 file which will take only a third of the time
to download, but its quality is not as good. If your connection is slow and / or your sound card or speakers are of low quality, these will save
you time, yet still give you some idea about the sound of the didj. |