MP3 and Crystal Metronome

Use of the MP3 format with Crystal Metronome is entirely optional and at the user's discretion.

MIL Software has not written and does not supply an MP3 encoding or decoding engine with Crystal Metronome. Instead, Crystal Metronome has the ability to invoke and use the standard encoding and decoding engines that come as part of the Windows operating system package or Windows Media Player.

Virtually all new computers come with an MP3 encoding engine because it is included with the newer versions of Windows such as Windows ME and Windows XP. In such cases, it will automatically appear in Crystal Metronome. This Windows standard engine might limit the choice of bitrates. The standard compression engine is found in a file named l3codeca.acm or l3codecp.acm.

MP3 encoding technology is protected by international patents and it is the user's responsibilty to ensure that using an external MP3 encoder does not violate any laws in his/her country. As an alternative you may record an uncompressed WAV file with Crystal Metronome and later use your favorite MP3 software, such as MusicMatch Jukebox or one of the hundreds of other freeware and commercial programs, to perform the compression.

For more information on MP3 patents and licensing, see mp3licensing.com. MIL Software has contacted Thomson and obtained permission to interface with external MP3 encoders.