MP3 Instructions

    The sound files on this page are in .mp3 format (thereby reducing greatly download time, with a minimum loss of fidelity). This format, however, requires

  1. that you have an .mp3 player in your computer, and

  2. that you configure your browser to use it.


    1. To obtain the mp3 player, go to http://www.mp3.com, where you will find a list of players for both Windows and Mac users and instructions for downloading.

For Windows users, WinAmp is a good choice. It is free at mp3.com and also available at http://www.winamp.com.

Mac users will find SoundApp PPC at http://www.spies.com/~franke/SoundApp/, an excellent freeware player.

Incidentally, having an mp3 player will open up a great many other Internet audio resources for you.

    2. Once you have downloaded and installed the mp3 player, you will need to configure your browser to use it when it encounters an mp3 file. You should go to wherever you choose for your browser the applications that open various file types. Different browsers will have different ways of doing this.


In Netscape, you go to Edit, click on Preferences. In the window that comes up, choose, under Navigator, Applications. Your browser or your version of Netscape may, however, differ.

We have included here "snapshots" of two common screens for installing your mp3 player. The first is for Netscape 4.n under Windows 95:





If you are using a Mac, in Netscape Navigator go to the Options menu, General Preferences, Helpers. Double-click on audio/mpeg. When properly configured, it looks like this:





In Netscape Communicator you go to the Edit menu, Preferences, Applications, audio/mpeg. If your copy of the browser doesn't have this Helper, you may create it by clicking "New", and then filling it as shown in the above figure.

In the "File Type" pop-down menu you must have either mp3, or mpeg.
Note that every time you change the player you have to configure "File Type" again.

    In general, where your browser lists the applications it uses with various file types, tell it to use the player you have just installed with files of this type: audio/mpeg or mp3 or mpeg.

    To follow these instructions more easily, print them out.

-- R.T., N.N.H.