You're sure to find at least one type of audio file supported by your browser. Generally speaking, the quality of the sound is directly proportional to the size (larger files sound better). The formats available include:

• RAM and RA files - full songs in RealAudio format. The main advantage to RealAudio files is that you can listen in real time, without waiting to download the whole file (for those who think instant gratification takes too long). This technique is known as "streaming." The RealAudio files available here are encoded in RealAudio 2.0, 3.0, 4.0 and 5.0 formats optimized for 28.8K modems (or faster). If you do not yet have the RealAudio player plug-in for your browser, you can download it free from RealAudio. If you are connected to the web using a modem which is slower than 28.8K baud, then these files may not play properly. Also, the playback consistency may vary depending on how much traffic there is on the web and on the STATIC 13 site itself.


Please note that, if you are surfing the web from the private side of a firewall (like, from work - don't worry - we won't tell!), then you may not be able to play RealAudio version 2.0 files. If playback fails (error 19), then try the RealAudio 3.0 or 4.0 files. These ones are better anyway, because they are in fabulous STEREO!

Three songs are available in RealAudio ISDN format. The sound quality of these is much better than the 28.8 RealAudio files however, since they require a higher connection speed for playback (over 40K baud), they are only recommended for those who have high bandwidth (e.g., 56K, T1, ISDN, cable modem, or Digital Satelite) connections to the Internet. Playback through a low bandwidth connection will result in breaks in the song while the buffers replenish.

Overall, RealAudio is pretty cool and will only get better as modems and other hardware get faster and cheaper.

• WAV files - this is the Microsoft Windows audio standard. Our WAV files are song extracts approximately 20 to 45 seconds in length, sampled in mono at 11KHz using 8 bit words, or at 22Khz using 4 bit words (Microsoft ADPCM encoding). Most browsers include plug-ins or helper apps that will play these files directly. They can also be played with utilities such as the Microsoft Media Player. Please note that the first time you play one of these files, there may be a significant delay as your browser downloads the file to your computer. Netscape Navigator (3.0 and 4.0) will display a small box with an embossed 'N' in it during the download and will begin playing the file as soon as it has downloaded completely.


Note: The ADPCM WAV files sound much better than the PCM WAV files because they use a higher sampling rate and bit rate compression, however, they may only be playable on Windows machines. PCM WAV files are playable on both Windows and Macintosh machines.

• AU files - this is the standard format of sound files found on many UNIX workstations. It is also widely used on Macintosh and IBM-compatible computers. Our AU song excerpts are identical to their WAV counterparts except that they are sampled at 22 KHz so the sound quality is better. Most browsers support AU files the same way they support WAV files, playing the file automatically after download.