One of the omnipresent issues in computer discussions nowadays is the downloading of music files. We read of Apple's enormous success with its iPod players and its 99-cent iTunes, while services like Kazaa still offer P2P (peer to peer) tools for trading songs between site visitors. And rarely does a week pass without news of another copyright infringement suit regarding this kind of file-swapping.
I am constantly asked if it's legal to download songs found on various noncommercial sites, along with questions about how to convert songs from one audio format to another or how to "rip" selections from an LP or CD to be placed on a computer for subsequent file-sharing.
Well, I'm neither a lawyer nor a technician, and I've begun to wonder if it was legal for us to tape music off the radio back when cassette recorders first came into being. And were we committing a crime when we recorded a movie shown on TV with our VCRs? And was it really legal to buy a dual-drive recorder for the express purpose of duplicating cassettes?
My answer is simply, "I don't know." In any case, an overview of some of the terminology might be helpful for newer computer users.
The only "sounds" emanating from early PCs were a variety of "dings" and "beeps" which acted mostly as error alerts. Later on, brief musical sounds were added, along with voice messages such as "You've got mail." These sound bites are called WAV files, and your PC came with lots of them. Go to Start>Find/Search>Files & Folders and type *.WAV. The asterisk acts as a "wild card" which will find all your WAV files. Double-click them to hear what they sound like.
As computers evolved, the ability to record one's own WAV files was added, using Windows' "Sound Recorder." Go to Start>Find/Search>Files & Folders and type SOUND RECORDER. When the Recorder icon appears, drag it onto your Desktop. Double-clicking this icon brings up a miniature "recording panel" with buttons for Record, Play, Stop, etc.
With a microphone inserted in your computer's "Mic" jack, you can create a voice file by going to File>New. Next, click the round red "Record" button, and speak into the mike.
To quit recording, click the square black Stop button. To save your file, go to File>Save As and give it a name.
Over time, it was discovered that music files could be "ripped" from various media -- and suddenly full-length songs were popping up on sites all over the Web, which can be easily downloaded, saved, and/or copied to a CD. My site has dozens of pop hits from the '40s and '50s.
Another thing done with WAVs is to convert them to MP3s, which can reduce file sizes using "compression" techniques, such as removing data beyond the range of human hearing.
For specifics on performing some of these feats of digital musical magic, type "WAV" or "MP3" or "audio file conversion" into any Web search engine.
More tips can be found at www.pcdon.com and calls are welcome at (949) 646-8615.
