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BOOK REVIEW Audio On The Web: The Official IUMA Guide Jeff Patterson and Ryan Melcher, with a foreword by Todd Rundgren, 1998 Peachpit Press ISBN: 0-201-69613-4 "If your goal is, to convert your audio CDs to digital files, and make those files available on the Web, then this book might be a helpful place to get a fast start. However, if you are interested in any other use of audio on the Web (multimedia, Web page sound effects, even data sonification), there are far more comprehensive books..." Reviewed by Roger Tilson @ the reviewer Roger Tilson is a User Involvement Specialist for IBM in Austin, Texas. So you want to bring your band's music to the masses, do you? Well, as a point of departure, this book might seem to be just what you need. In the foreword, Todd Rundgren gives us high hopes: "A musician's impediment to audience creation can no longer be blamed on a lack of either technology or access.... All one has to do is have a little patience and perseverance. And maybe a little expert advice from those who've been there." Unfortunately, this may not be the perfect information source we hope for. Putting music on the Web involves essentially two tasks: creating the sound files, then making them accessible to the browsing masses. Patterson and Melcher surely have been there, with plenty of experience running the Internet Underground Music Archive (www.iuma.com). The authors start with a simple but sufficient discussion of audio nuts and bolts, including file types, sampling rates, and bit depth. There are even some example clips on the accompanying CD you can listen to and judge for yourself. Since the big challenge in putting music on the Web is stuffing lots of bits through a thin pipe, the authors discuss the underlying logic and suitability of most of the major compression/decompression schemes. Following this basic audio primer, they consider what you need to turn your tunes into sound files. There is a brief but informative discussion of sound cards, but nothing similar for microphones or other components. Much of the information contained in this chapter is not so enlightening: When explaining how to connect your studio components the authors give us the following pearl of wisdom: "Read the manual that came with your source device. (You did keep it, didn't you?)" However, the authors are very helpful when it is time for "ripping" or recording music from a CD to a digital file using software for both Windows (CoolEdit 96) and Macintosh (SoundEdit 16). Demo versions are conveniently provided on the CD. The exact steps are well described, with screen grabs all along the way for reference. They finish up this section with a brief discussion of how to optimize your files (not the music itself) for presentation via the Web. They cover topics like equalization, normalization, and (most importantly) automating the conversion process that are often skipped over in such books, but which are critical for success in feeding the music-hungry masses. Armed with files containing our favorite tunes (there is a whole chapter devoted to file formats), we are ready to make the music available on the Net. The authors give a little crash course in embedding various sound files into a Web page. They do not try to teach HTML here, concentrating instead on just what you need to deliver downloadable sounds. Next, they dive into the swirling seas of streaming audio, covering RealAudio, Xing StreamWorks, and finally Liquid Audio in separate chapters. They discuss the pros and cons of each of the formats, then explain in some detail how to create the streaming files and how to set up the server software and Web pages required to distribute them. In some areas, the level of detail is barely enough to get you up and running. However, in some areas, the detail seems a little excessive. Finally, there is a very brief discussion about future formats, including "the impending" (now released) QuickTime 3.0 and NetShow 3.0, and a quick comment on the multimedia wonders that more bandwidth will bring. If your goal is, indeed, to convert your audio CDs to digital files, and make those files available on the Web, then this book might be a helpful place to get a fast start. However, if you are interested in any other use of audio on the Web (multimedia, Web page sound effects, even data sonification), there are far more comprehensive books (see my review on Cutting Edge Web Audio, for example). Ironically, reading this book was much like searching for information on the Internet itself: While it is a relatively new book, the contents are not complete, even as far as digital music is concerned (no mention of Beatnik, and only an "it's coming!" for MPEG-3, for example). What is discussed is often already out of date. The only skills you might learn are software-specific, and even the authors are no longer using some of the software they discuss. For example, they spend a whole long chapter decribing the details of Liquid Audio, but their actual Web site now uses mostly RealAudio and MPEG formats. To be honest, I didn't even feel compelled to check out the CD until after I finished the book. While it is certainly not the authors' fault, the book (like many Web sites) has not been proofread. Typographical errors result in confusion, and the flashy formatting gets in the way of the content. The publisher formatted nearly all URLs in upper case, resulting in several that do not work. If you do make your way to the Web sites in question, the pages are often no longer there (even some of those at the IUMA, itself!). As a quick start, I might recommend some parts of the book, like the sections on setting up a streaming-audio server…. But on deeper reflection, I'd have to give this book a miss. In the rapidly changing world of Web audio, it's unfortunately already past its prime. © Internet Technical Group Last update: July 10, 1999 URL: http://www.sandia.gov/itg/newsletter/jun99/review_iuma_guide.html hosted by Sandia National Labs Disclaimer: Neither Sandia Corporation, the United States Government, nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately-owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by Sandia Corporation, the United States Government, or any agency thereof. The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of Sandia Corporation, the United States Government or any agency thereof.