Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC) is an audio format that is unknown to the public, but is particularly loved by the most demanding audiophiles: unlike MP3, AAC and their partners, FLAC is lossless, which means that it compresses audio with no loss of information. The advantage is the superior quality and the certainty that a 1: 1 copy of the original can only be made from the files. The disadvantage is that the tracks “weigh” significantly more. Is it a winning engagement or not?
Let’s go to the conclusions
If you have original, rare and / or valuable audio recordings that you want to keep indefinitely for years (even if the original media wear out), FLAC is the optimal choice.
But if you only make it a matter of quality, think twice about it: it might not be worth it.
Never convert from MP3 to FLAC – it would take up extra space for free.
FLAC is … an audio codec
Let’s start with FLAC being an audio codec: that is, it is used to compress music or other sound sequences so that they take up less space than storing the same information directly.
To get an idea of how basic this is, keep in mind that an hour of uncompressed audio (no video) takes 620MB.
FLAC is … “free”
Then there is the word “free” which should be interpreted as “free” and “free”. FLAC is distributed in open source mode (GPL license). This means that its specifications can be used by anyone without paying any commission.
In contrast, there are MP3s that must be used within software and device manufacturers by Thomson Consumer Electronics and the Fraunhofer Society.
FLAC is … lossless
The third aspect concerns the type of compression used. While MP3 and AAC reduce the weight of the file by permanently eliminating frequencies and nuances that are generally unrecognizable to the human ear, FLAC retains every last bit present in the source and then applies only a number of specific optimizations, before the file is saved result in reducing the size on the hard drive. When the file is opened, however, the process is reversed and FLAC returns the original audio perfectly.
The procedure is similar in many ways to that of compressing in zip format: when the file is unpacked, we get the perfectly preserved initial file again. The difference is that FLAC was specially developed for working with audio and significantly reduced the size of the source file.
Lossless = quality + flexibility
Audiophiles complain that the “cuts” in the MP3 codec are too heavy and that the quality is unacceptably affected. In contrast, the performance at FLAC corresponds 100% to the original “master”.
Added to this is the aspect of optimal data storage: FLAC supporters point out that a “ripped” CD in this format can later be recreated from the files themselves and that a bit-by-bit result is achieved that corresponds to the original. However, the same procedure used for MP3 extraction would produce a different, lower quality disc.
The disadvantages: size and compatibility
The disadvantage is that FLAC files in megabytes are much heavier than compressing them with MP3. Although the actual efficiency depends on the sound characteristics of the respective source, an average reduction of 40-50% can be expected: For example, an hour of audio ranges from approximately 600 MB of the uncompressed format to 300 MB in the optimal case
With MP3, compression is much more intensive – the same hour of compressed audio at 160 kbps (or very high quality anyway) is expected to be around 70 MB.
Then there is the compatibility problem: MP3 is natively compatible with any Smart TV, radio, PC, smartphone or media player that is still in circulation. FLAC, on the other hand, can only be played natively on Android, Linux and Windows 10. On the other platforms, if possible, you need to download a dedicated player or convert songs in advance.
