I want to distribute my compositions on the internet. Which encoder and encoder settings do you recommend for "CD-qualty" and "Near CD-qualty"?

Thanks in advance.

The "MP3" section of the FAQ should show the best settings tested so far when looking for quality. See that section for details.

Note that MP3's encoded with the "--alt-preset standard" setting using the recommended LAME 3.90.3 compile are technically "near CD quality". In practice, most listeners have a hard time telling such MP3 files from original CD tracks with most music.

MP3 is you best choice of format for internet distribution because of its ubiquity.

if you are going to distribute officially, make sure you have a proper encoder/distribution license when using a commercial format like mp3.

to avoid hassle, I would take a look at a free lossless encoder for CD-Quality (FLAC, wavpack...) and ogg vorbis for near-CD (probably around quality setting 5 ~160kbit/s)

Also AAC is an alternative. It doesn´t have the same issues concerning licencing and will become the succeedor of MP3.

Good settings foor near-cd qualty:

Quicktime: 192kb/s
Nero: profile "Transparent"

Thanks for the replies.
I think I will have to stick with mp3.
Which encoder is good for 128 kbps and lower?

Before making a final decision, I suggest you do a little more reading about Ogg vorbis;

Check the FAQ at vorbis.com
Also, see this article.

Happy learning!

FhG is generally assumed to be the best choice for low bitrates (below 100 kbps), and lame is better for 128 above. Exactly at what bitrate that lame is better than FhG is hard to say. You may want to check out the 128 kbps MP3 listening test that just opened. If you decide to go for lame check the recommended compile and recommended settings threads in the MP3 forums.

Is the encoder that comes with Adobe Audition any good?