Is MP3 not supposed a smaller file than WAV ?

[Ritter 197]

I had a file which played as a .wav files. I then saved it as an MP3 file,
but when I look at the original size of the file and the MP3 file, they are
both 21.X MB.

I am using AUDACITY and also am trying Wavepad.

What I am doing wrong as quiet a novice in this audio business.

 

[Orange]

I had a file which played as a .wav files. I then saved it as an MP3 file,
but when I look at the original size of the file and the MP3 file, they are
both 21.X MB.

I am using AUDACITY and also am trying Wavepad.

What I am doing wrong as quiet a novice in this audio business.

Yes it is.

In Audacity you need to have the LAME Encodeer to be able to Export the wav
file as an mp3 :

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/help/faq?s=install&item=lame-mp3

Follow the instructions on the link.

Here is how you "Export" to mp3 format once LAME is installed :

1) Open up Audacity and select your wav file (File > Open > navigate to the
wav file you want to use > Open it.

2) Edit > Select > All

3) File > Export > In the drop down File Type select mp3 (here you may have
to "point" Audacity in the direction of the LAME Encoder the first time you
use it)

4) Options > Select the bitrate you wnt - 128 is general CD quality,
personnaly I use 160 > OK

5) Save - you can tell Audacity at this stage where you want the file stored

6) You should then have a workable usable mp3 file that shouldtake up just
above 1/3 of the volume of your wav file.

Cheers,
Jerry

 

[Ritter 197]

Super, that is what I hoped.
It is getting late here in Maryland and I will have to research it further
to-morrow, by following your advice. Thanks in the meantime.

 

[zachd [MSFT]]

It depends upon the codec used in the WAV file. PCM WAV is huge. Other
codecs will be more comparable. =)

 

[Ritter 197]

,Well, I do not know what is wrong. I had the file as a .wav file 21.5 MB,
then I downloaded a converter to MP3 and it says that it IS converting to
MP3 but now the same file is 21.3 MB. Something is not working, but I wish I
knew what.

Use this to name / tag an mp3. The tag is what will give the information
to an mp3 player - Title, by whom, album name etc.

http://www.id3-tagit.de/

Cheers,
Jerry

 

[zachd [MSFT]]

Probably the original WAV was using MP3 already, as I suggested.

WAV is not a codec, it's a file format. It can use a variety of codecs,
some of which are quite efficient.

 

[Ritter 197]

I got it all figured out. Took only a few hours of trying and trying again.
I needed to CONVERT to MP3, then I saved a lot of space on the IPOD
(GIGABYTES worth).