Minimum size/maximum quality MP3 sound file balance

If you want small files and max sound quality, use AAC instead of MP3.

You aren't gonna get songs down to 1 MB with any quality at all.

iTunes uses 128 kbps AAC as the default because it is about the best compromise between quality and size.
This works out to ~1MB per minute.

Audio files (lectures and podcasts and such) can be set to 32k/64k stereo with great results since the frequency range is not as great as with music. This works out to 10MB per hour

Stereo Bit Rate is what people are talking about when they say that a song is XXX kbps. (kbps is a measure of bit-rate, a measure of kilobytes per second).

Stereo v. Mono really depends on what type of song you are sampling, and what you are listening to it on. For virtually all music recorded after 1970, though, you'd probably want to use Stereo.

Also, you might get some mileage by making sure that you are importing the music at 41.100 kHz rather than using Auto or 48.000. (This is basically the "speed" at which the music is sampled. The faster its sampled, the more information it contains. It makes it higher quality, but also higher file size. You probably won't notice too much difference between 41.1 and 48.)

Finally, you should also check the Variable Bit Rate box. This will help reduce the file size, as the bit rate will be reduced during silences and other times where the song doesn't need more information.

As for the overall Bit Rate, its really subjective. Your best bet is to just try it at a few different levels and decide which is best for you.

But isn't the AAC format only for Macs?
No.

Most of the people I send files to have PCs,
Well, I hope you aren't sending them copyrighted songs (RIP'd from CDs or purchases).

What is STEREO BIT RATE?
The bit rate is how many bits per second are being used in the file. It can be stereo or mono. Stereo uses two channels (left & right), mono uses one (combines them).

In my experience, the term STEREO BIT RATE doesn't occur very frequently.
It's not usually mentioned because music is in almost always stereo.

If you are doing voice, narration and such, it's better to use mono because
a - you don't need stereo
b - the resulting file size will be significantly smaller

But isn't the AAC format only for Macs?

No. It's actually the next generation mp3, is an industry standard.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AdvancedAudioCoding

Regards

TD

Thanks - Great link Terence!

Niku, that article and the links inside it should have all the information you requested in your first email.