Cubase 5 poor quality .mp3 instrumentals as opposed to .wav file formats inquiery?

[Lensto]

I'm a cubase 5 newbie. I'd like to know if there is a way to keep the quality of an .mp3 instrumental that you've downloaded of the internet. Or do I have to accept their poor quality, or should I or can I convert .mp3 files into .wav file formats? Because when I import the .mp3 instrumental onto cubase the sound quality is very exceptional, but after recording the quality drops drastically. Like wtf just happened kind of tip!

 

[mjbphotos]

If the track you are using sounds ok in MP3 format, don't worry about it. Save/render to WAV format, don't render to MP3 first, that may be where you are losing quality.