Getting Started with the LilyPad MP3 Player

Contributors: MikeGrusin

Supported Audio Formats

The VS1053B audio decoding chip built into the LilyPad MP3 Player understands a wide variety of audio file formats. Occasionally you'll run into something it can't play; in that case you can often load it into the audio-editing software of your choice and "save as" a different format.

Below is a summary of the audio formats that the VS1053B understands, along with the common filename extensions for those formats. Note that the "player" sketch checks each file to ensure that it has one of these extensions: MP3, WAV, // MID (MIDI), MP4, WMA, AAC, FLA, OGG, but this is solely to avoid sending non-audio data to the VS1053B from other files that may be on your micro-SD card. The chip itself doesn't care about the extension. If you're using the player sketch, you can always rename your audio files to any of the above extensions.

This is only a summary. For much more detail see the VS1053B datasheet.

MPEG layer III (.MP3)

language:bash
Two channels max
Sample rates: 8 through 48 kHz
Bitrates: 32 through 320 kbit/s
Variable bit rate (VBR) supported
Layer I and II also supported with additional setup, see the VS1053B datasheet for more information.

Ogg Vorbis (.OGG)

language:bash
Two channels max
Window size: 64 - 4096 samples
Sample rate: 48 kHz max
Bitrate: 500 kbit/s max

AAC (.AAC .MP4 .M4A)

language:bash
Two channels max
Sample rates from 8 kHz to 96 kHz (rates > 48 kHz are downsampled to 48 kHz)
Bitrates to 576 kbit/s
ATDS (streaming) format recommended

WMA (.WMA)

language:bash
Two channels max
Sample rates from 8 kHz to 48 kHz
Bitrates from 5 kbits/s to 192 kbits/s
Variable bit rate (VBR) supported

WAV (.WAV)

language:bash
Two channels max

PCM format
    8 or 16 bits, sample rates < 48 kHz

IMA_ADPCM format
    Sample rates < 48 kHz

MPEG LAYER 3 format
    Same as MP3 modes

MIDI (.MID)

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General MIDI and SP-MIDI format 0
    Format 1 and 2 files must be converted to format 0

Maximum polyphony: 64
Actual polyphony: 19-31 notes at 3.5X clock

Two instrument banks:
    GM1 (instruments)
    GM2 (percussion)