Mac question - small MP3 files?

**Damon Rondeau** · #1 12-27-2005, 01:47 PM

Attention all Mac heads -- I've got what I hope is a simple question for you.

Here's the situation: my 70-year old Dad has taken up songwriting in his retirement. Came out of the blue. Frustrated with the technicalities of making demo recordings in the PC world, he bought a new Mac G5 about a month ago when he heard about Garageband. The good news is that, with Garageband, he's finally getting some demos happening. He just couldn't get with it using a variety of different Windows-based software.

Here's the question: using the stock software that ships with the G5, how can he make MP3 files 5MB or smaller? He's already asked his retailer and Apple themselves and he essentially doesn't understand what they're telling him, but he thinks they are saying it can't be done. We're talking a basic three to five minute tune here. I have almost zero familiarity with Mac stuff and I'm thinking one of my cyber-pals here on the board will know the answer pretty quickly.

Thx in advance, you helpful bunch you.

**Freddels** · #2 12-27-2005, 01:54 PM

Why does he want them smaller? To email? If so, he can zip the file by holding down the "Control" button while clicking the file with the mouse and then selecting "Create Archive". This should zip the file down some.

If this is not what you're looking for then let us know.

**Damon Rondeau** · #3 12-27-2005, 01:56 PM

Oops, forgot to mention why. You're exactly right, Freddels -- he's trying to get around the attachment file size limit his ISP lays on their customers.

Thanks for the suggestion, much obliged.

**Freddels** · #4 12-27-2005, 02:05 PM

If they're still too big after zipping and if he has a .mac account then he can upload them to his space there and you or anyone else that he wants to have them can download from there. Also, he may want to try a gmail account for email. I don't think they have a file limit (or if they do it's pretty large).

anonymous0726 · #5 12-27-2005, 02:08 PM

Zipping an MP3 files isn't going to get it any smaller. When he saves his recording into an MP3 from Garageband he has to choose a lower bit rate to get the file smaller. For instance, choosing 96KB instead of 128KB. This could also be listed as 'Quality' when he does the conversion. He's probably choosing 'Near CD Quality' or something like that at present.

**Chris Fitzgerald** · #6 12-27-2005, 02:12 PM

...and if that fails, you can always import them into iTunes at a very low sample rate which can be set in the iTunes "Preferences" window.

**Jeremy Allen** · #7 12-27-2005, 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Fitzgerald

...and if that fails, you can always import them into iTunes at a very low sample rate which can be set in the iTunes "Preferences" window.

Just to clarify for your father-in-law, Chris's solution (the quickest way to do it) is a two-step process: Garageband will export its .band file to iTunes as an AIFF no matter what you have the "import" preferences set to in iTunes. Once the file is exported from Garageband, set the file type to whatever you want it to be (128kbps mp3, for example) in iTunes' "import" preferences; right-click (or control+click) on the file in the iTunes library and one of the options that comes up will be "Convert to..." whatever you have the import preference set to. Do this, and you'll then have two versions of the Garageband song in your iTunes library, one big and one small, to do with as you please.

**Damon Rondeau** · #8 12-27-2005, 07:43 PM

Thanks Chris and Johono5 -- I saw Dad today for about 5 minutes and looked over his shoulder while he showed me this stuff, and it was indeed in this Garageband to iTunes shuffle where things were going way fuzzy on him. And because I'm not a Mac guy, it was pretty fuzzy on me, too. Thanks a bunch for the help.

Now. Does anyone want to help me critique my Dad's musical most-surprising and, errr, unique musical work? Toughest job I've ever had to do...