Recording File Formats and Quality Settings

There are four different audio file formats that you can record to: MP3, WMA 9, OGG Vorbis and WAV.

With all formats, higher quality settings will result in more disk space being used and with lower quality settings, less disk space is used. All recordings are recorded directly to disk without having any temporary files being created.

The approximate amount of disk space that will be used according to your selections is shown below the quality settings.

To select, click OptionsClick the option button for the type of format that you would like to record to.

MP3, (MPEG 1.0, layer 3)

Compressed audio, space saving, high-quality format

If you select MP3, there are two types that you can select: Constant Bitrate, (CBR) or Variable Bitrate, (VBR). Constant bitrate is generally the most compatible type for many MP3 players. Variable bitrate automatically adjusts to the audio that's being recorded and can sometimes be a more efficient use of disk space. But, VBR encoding is more intensive to perform. If you have an older, slower system, CBR is a better choice.

MP3, CBR

Click the "Constant Bitrate - Quality" drop-down list to select the quality level and bitrate that you want. There are descriptions for many of the settings so that you can select "CD quality", "Low", etc. The higher the bitrate is, the higher the quality will be. You can also select Stereo or Mono. Lower bitrates are suitable for streaming or can be emailed more easily because they use less disk space.

MP3, VBR

Click the "Variable Bitrate - Quality" drop-down list to select the quality level that you want. In this mode, select the name for the quality level such as "Hi-Q (CD)", etc. Bitrates aren't listed because they are variable and the ranges will vary according to the sound that's being recorded. You can also select Stereo or Mono.

WMA 9, (Windows Media Audio 9)

Compressed audio, space saving, high-quality format

Click the "Windows Media Audio 9" drop-down list to select the quality level, bitrate, type:(CBR, VBR) and Stereo or Mono. The WMA 9 format is the latest from Microsoft and also offers excellent quality in a compressed format. Designed primarily for the Windows Media Player but is supported in many applications and devices.

For WMA 9 you can select any combination shown which may include: CBR (Constant Bitrate), VBR (Variable Bitrate), kHz setting (48 kHz down to 8 kHz) (48 kHz = 48000 Hz, etc.), Kbps is the main bitrate setting which has the most control over the overall quality (in conjunction with kHz).

48 kHz is above CD, pro quality. 44 kHz is most commonly used and can achieve CD quality.

All of the WMA quality setting parameters are shown and explained above the drop-down list.

OGG Vorbis

Compressed audio, space saving, high-quality format

Click the "OGG Vorbis Quality" drop-down list to select the quality level that you want. This is similar to MP3, VBR encoding. You can also select Stereo or Mono. This format also offers excellent quality in a compressed format.

WAV format

Non-compressed audio, high-quality format

The WAV format is actual CD quality when set to: 44100 Hz, 16 Bit, Stereo. The new 48000 Hz setting is above CD, Professional Quality. The file sizes for this setting are about 10 times larger than the compressed formats above. You can select the "Sample Rate - Quality", (48000 Hz, 44100, 22050, 11025 or 8000), Stereo or Mono and 16 Bit or 8 Bit.

Clicking the Defaults button will set all four recording mode's quality and channels settings to their original default values.