Main digital audio formats
–MP3: was created by Moving Pictures Experts Group (MPEG), which created and continues to create standards for storing and transmitting audio and video in digital format. In its entirety, the format is called: MPEG-1 / MPEG-2 Layer 3 (MP3). It is the most popular music storage format in the world today.
MP3 simultaneously compresses data and processes audio to obtain the smallest possible file size. The bit rate can vary from 8 Kb / s to 320 Kb / s, the sampling rate from 16 kHz to 48 kHz. The goal of processing the original recording with the MP3 compression algorithm is to compress the information as little as possible. So if in its original form a song occupies around 70 MB of memory, then in MP3 format with acceptable quality it will only take around 7-8 MB, as you can see, the gain is significant, although it is achieved by degrading the sound quality .
–AAC: The format has become popular because Apple has adopted it as a standard for storing, selling and distributing music in its ecosystem and iTunes. AAC is very similar to MP3 in terms of audio processing during encoding, although it gives a slightly better result.
Furthermore, AAC not only compresses the data, but also performs sound processing, removing a certain type of data, thus achieving significant savings in memory for storing music. The bit rate can range from 8 kbps to 320 kbps, the sample rate ranges from 8 kHz to 96 kHz. With more sophisticated and sophisticated encoding and compression algorithms, AAC music can sound better than MP3 and take up less memory. Another advantage of the AAC format is that it supports up to 48 channels, while MP3 only supports 2.
–WMA: format developed by Microsoft to compete with MP3. During encoding, data is compressed, music is processed, and parts of it are removed, saving memory. However, there is a variation of the format called WMA Lossless that preserves the quality of the original sound. The vast majority of modern phones, players and computers support this format and there should be no problems with its playback. However, some computers may have a hard time playing them, so if you want maximum compatibility, MP3 may be worth choosing.
–FLAC: Developed by the Xiph.Org organization, this format is free for any type of use, so it is quite widespread these days.
FLAC uses data compression, however it preserves the original sound quality of the recording. music is not processed. The recording quality can be 32-bit / 96 kHz (this is significantly higher than the recording quality of CDs, which is 16-bit / 44.1 kHz). The data compression algorithm can save up to 30% memory compared to the original recording, while maintaining perfect sound quality. It is for this reason that the FLAC format has become very common.
–ALAC: this format is analogous to FLAC, but made by Apple, whose full name is Apple Lossless Audio Codec. Its properties are the same as those of FLAC, but its advantage was that all Apple devices could work with it without the need to install third-party applications. Since iOS 11, the FLAC format has also become fully compatible with Apple devices, so the urgent need for ALAC has decreased significantly for the sake of freedom and the greater compatibility with other devices that FLAC offers.
–WAV: A format developed by Microsoft, this format stores the sound in its original form, so the files take up a lot of memory, although they preserve the perfect quality of the music.
WAV does not compress or process sound, we can say that it is an ideal format for storing master copies and for subsequent sound processing. Although there are certain encoding settings that allow you to compress data, they are generally not used. WAV files are similar in storage method to PCM and AIFF formats.
–AIFF: a format also developed by Apple, the full name is Audio Interchange File Format. The main goal is to store music on Apple computers in its original form.
AIFF doesn’t compress data or perform any sound processing, so like WAV it takes up a lot of memory. The best sound storage format if you want to keep processing it in an editor or convert it to other formats on Mac computers.
–PCM: This format is used for digital recording of analog signals, which is sound. It is a standard for recording audio to CDs, but can also be used to store music digitally in computer memory. PCM does not compress audio, ideal for storing master copies of music or for professional audio work.
