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Audio

High-quality audio formats for music, podcasts, sound effects, and other audio content supporting various levels of compression and fidelity. Hover on a format card to see details and play an audio sample.

Audio File Formats

Hover on a card to view format details and play an audio sample.

WAV

Waveform Audio File Format

WAV (Waveform Audio File Format)

As a standard audio format in Windows environments, WAV stores sound data in uncompressed PCM form. This format produces high-precision sound reproduction, although it requires significant storage space. This advantage makes WAV the primary choice in professional audio production and recording editing processes.

MP3

MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3

MP3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3)

This lossy compression format has become the de facto standard for digital music distribution thanks to its balanced ratio of file size and sound quality. With sophisticated encoding techniques, MP3 can dramatically reduce file size while maintaining acceptable audio quality, making it ideal for web applications and portable devices.

AAC

Advanced Audio Coding

AAC (Advanced Audio Coding)

As the successor to MP3, this format offers a more efficient compression algorithm with superior sound quality at the same bitrate. AAC has been widely adopted by leading streaming platforms due to its superior performance in audio frequency reproduction and good device compatibility.

AIFF

Audio Interchange File Format

AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format)

Developed by Apple as an alternative to WAV, AIFF stores audio data in uncompressed form with high resolution. This format has become the standard in music production in macOS environments, offering perfect studio sound quality for professional needs.

FLAC

Free Lossless Audio Codec

FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec)

This open-source format provides audio compression without losing original quality, making it a favorite among audiophiles. FLAC can reduce file size by about 50-60% from its original source while maintaining every sound detail, ideal for high-quality music archives.

OGG Vorbis

Open Source Audio Format

OGG Vorbis

As an open-source audio solution, this format offers a royalty-free alternative to MP3 with comparable quality. The Vorbis codec in OGG containers is widely implemented in open-source multimedia applications, including games and digital music players.

WMA

Windows Media Audio

WMA (Windows Media Audio)

Developed by Microsoft as a response to MP3, this format provides better audio performance at low bitrates. WMA integrates perfectly with the Windows ecosystem and is often used for multimedia content based on Microsoft platforms.

ALAC

Apple Lossless Audio Codec

ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec)

This exclusive Apple format offers lossless compression with quality equivalent to FLAC. ALAC is specifically designed for optimal integration with Apple devices, allowing digital music collections to be stored without compromising quality within the iOS and macOS ecosystem.

Opus

Modern Audio Codec

Opus

This modern audio format is dedicated to real-time applications such as VoIP communications and streaming. With dynamic bitrate flexibility and superior performance at low latency, Opus is becoming an emerging standard for teleconferencing applications and multimedia streaming.

MIDI

Musical Instrument Digital Interface

MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface)

Unlike conventional audio formats, MIDI stores digital music instruction data in the form of playing parameters. This format is very efficient in file size and is widely used in digital music production, synthesizers, and interactive multimedia applications due to its easily modifiable nature.

MP3 Format Conversions

Changes When Converting from MP3 to Other Audio Formats

When converting from MP3 to other audio formats, these are the specific changes that occur:

WAV

  • Changes from lossy to uncompressed format
  • Dramatically increases file size
  • Removes compression artifacts
  • Cannot recover audio quality already lost in MP3 compression
  • Improves editing capabilities (no generation loss)
  • Removes MP3 metadata structure (replaced with WAV metadata)

AAC

  • Changes compression algorithm (MP3 to AAC)
  • Usually improves sound quality at similar bitrates
  • Better handling of higher frequencies
  • Maintains similar file sizes
  • Often improves stereo imaging
  • Different metadata structure

AIFF

  • Changes from lossy to uncompressed format
  • Similar to WAV but with Apple origins
  • Dramatically increases file size
  • Cannot recover lost audio information
  • Better compatibility with macOS/Apple software
  • Different metadata structure

FLAC

  • Changes from lossy to lossless compression
  • Increases file size significantly (but smaller than WAV/AIFF)
  • Cannot recover audio quality already lost in MP3
  • Adds support for higher bit depths and sample rates
  • More extensive metadata capabilities
  • Better for archival purposes

OGG Vorbis

  • Changes compression algorithm
  • Often provides better sound quality at lower bitrates
  • Open-source format without licensing restrictions
  • May offer improved sound at similar file sizes
  • Different metadata structure
  • Less widely supported than MP3

WMA

  • Changes to Microsoft's proprietary format
  • Variable quality depending on encoder settings
  • Often worse compatibility outside Windows ecosystem
  • Can include DRM restrictions
  • Different metadata structure
  • Generally similar file sizes

ALAC

  • Changes from lossy to lossless compression
  • Apple's lossless format
  • Increases file size significantly
  • Cannot recover audio quality already lost
  • Better compatibility with Apple devices
  • Better for archival while maintaining Apple ecosystem compatibility

Opus

  • Changes to newer, more efficient compression
  • Superior quality at very low bitrates
  • Better handling of speech content
  • Potentially smaller files at similar quality
  • Less widely supported than MP3
  • Improved streaming capabilities

MIDI

  • Not a true conversion - fundamentally different format types
  • Changes from recorded audio to musical instructions
  • Loses all vocal content and realistic instrument sounds
  • Extremely small file size
  • Contains only note data, not actual recorded sound
  • Cannot accurately represent most MP3 content
  • Would require manual recreation rather than conversion
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