mp3
What is a .mp3 file?
audio/mpeg
MP3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer III) is a lossy audio format using perceptual coding to discard inaudible detail at a chosen bitrate. It is extremely widely supported and commonly carries ID3 metadata tags for title, artist, and cover art. It remains a default for music distribution and playback.
How to use a .mp3 file
Use an example MP3 to test audio decoders, ID3 tag parsing, bitrate and VBR handling, and transcoding or streaming pipelines.
Download example .mp3 files
- MP3: CBR 192 kbpsThe source clip as constant-bitrate MP3 (LAME, 192 kbps): the most universally supported lossy audio format. For testing MP3 decoders, players, and conversion.
- MP3: VBR (V2)The same clip as variable-bitrate MP3 (LAME V2), for testing VBR handling, seeking, and duration estimation against the CBR twin.
- ID3-tagged MP3 (title / artist / album)An MP3 with a full set of ID3v2.3 tags (title, artist, album, date, genre, comment) over a synthetic C-major melody. A fixture for testing tag readers, metadata editors, and music-library importers.
- MP3 with ID3 Tags and Cover ArtAn MP3 with deterministic ID3v2.3 text frames and embedded PNG cover art wrapped around unchanged MPEG audio frames.
- MP3 with ID3 Metadata StrippedThe same MPEG audio frames with leading and trailing ID3 metadata removed, for checking metadata scrubbing without an audio transcode.
- Supplier order call: codec mp3 128A 5 second excerpt of this group's take, codec. Encoded and decoded through a real speech codec, so the artefacts are the ones the format actually produces rather than a simulation of them. Delivered as mp3 at 24000 Hz mono. Scored against plate.flac in the same group, which is the same five seconds undamaged. The parameters in the specification are what the file MEASURED, not what was requested of it.
- Supplier order call: codec mp3 32A 5 second excerpt of this group's take, codec. Encoded and decoded through a real speech codec, so the artefacts are the ones the format actually produces rather than a simulation of them. Delivered as mp3 at 24000 Hz mono. Scored against plate.flac in the same group, which is the same five seconds undamaged. The parameters in the specification are what the file MEASURED, not what was requested of it.
- Invoice dispute: codec mp3 128A 5 second excerpt of this group's take, codec. Encoded and decoded through a real speech codec, so the artefacts are the ones the format actually produces rather than a simulation of them. Delivered as mp3 at 24000 Hz mono. Scored against plate.flac in the same group, which is the same five seconds undamaged. The parameters in the specification are what the file MEASURED, not what was requested of it.
and 21 more in the library.