Compressing MP3 files

[Magnolia]

I just downloaded Audacity 1.3 beta on my Windows 7. I am trying to compress my sermons [am a minister] to email to parishioners. However, the smallest compression I can get is 24 MB. Sermon usually 15-18 minutes in length. I use Yahoo Mail. Any suggestions on how I can compress further?

[kozikowski]

Yahoo mail's upper limit is 25MB for total attachments. So that's one parishioner.

You're the poster child for a simple web site and one posting to multiple people -- or a free dropbox account.

http://www.dropbox.com/

You're encoding in MP3 with the lame software right? You didn't say. Audacity 1.3 has the ability to reduce the exported bitrate further and further until you achieve unacceptable sound damage. Use the Tracks > Stereo Track to Mono tool to convert a stereo show to mono before you export. That helps a lot.

Koz

[Magnolia]

Will take your suggestions by my computer guru. He actually set it up. Would Outlook Express be a better email server? If so I can change it all over.

[steve]

Would Outlook Express be a better email server?

No.
Even if your e-mail service provider allows you to post huge files, it is likely that many of your parishioners will be unable to receive them due to limits imposed by their e-mail service providers. 24MB is a very large download for anyone using a dial-up connection. If any of your parishioners have Internet access via "Dial-up modem" they will probably use some colloquialisms that are not in keeping with your position as a Minister while their Internet connection is locked up until the e-mail download is complete.

A much better way to distribute MP3 sermons would be either as a "Podcast" or similar method of uploading to the Internet and allowing your parishioners to download via their web browser.

To make the file smaller, first convert it to mono (as Koz suggested), then use MP3 compression settings that compress the data more. Try setting the compression settings to "Variable Bit Rate: 9, 45-85kbps". If the sound quality is too poor at that, try it at "8" or "7".