Ever in need of a few additional tracks for your DJ set? You generally would turn to sites like Beatport, Stompy, Traxsource, etc.. You know the routine: search, listen, purchase and download, done. But some of us are having bad experiences purchasing dirty tracks from some online stores. Tracks that are basically produced using software, saved and done, ready for distribution. No mixdown, no mastering, nada. That’s a dirty track. Have you ever played a dirty digital track on a club sound system? Not good. The sound quality just isn’t professional. The finished product sucks, but it’s by a hot DJ/Producer. What are you going to do?

Well here are a few tips that can help you navigate online music stores and purchase tracks with the best sound quality.

  • Do not use your built-in computer speakers when sampling tracks. You need to really hear what a track sounds like, so avoid using those built-in computer speakers. The easiest fix is using a good pair of headphones when sampling tracks from online music stores.
  • More than likely, tracks are listed on multiple online music stores, so search around before making your final purchase. These sites are downloading and uploading tracks on a constant basis. Some connect directly to an aggregator’s database. In any case, search around and compare. You may find better sound quality and lower cost when searching and comparing different sites.
  • Check the release date. My rule of thumb is if it’s an old classic, try finding it on vinyl or iTunes. You can bounce tracks from vinyl to mp3, just don’t resale them. Most online music stores are just getting classics for digital downloads. Some classic record labels are in DIY mode, so sound quality may be an afterthought. Albums recorded 5 years ago are being added as new releases on some online music stores (article coming soon). So check the release date and again, do your research.

These are just a few steps to consider when purchasing better sound quality mp3’s. Do you have any suggestion on purchasing better sound quality mp3’s? Please add your comments.