Audio formats for high quality sound
This includes uncompressed formats.
PCM – Pulse Code Modulation. The original analog audio is sampled as is, without any modification.
PCM is the most common audio recording format used on CDs and DVDs. Dolby multi-channel, surround, subject to high-quality speakers, sounding almost one-to-one with a live performance.
If you like to sit in front of a home theater and immerse yourself in empathy for the main and supporting characters in the movie, this is it.
Wav
A fairly old format, developed as early as 1991. Well, that’s how the old masters always thought of high quality.
Many people consider WAV to be an uncompressed format. But in fact it is a container and it can also contain compressed files.
In most cases, WAV contains uncompressed PCM audio. Therefore, the quality is high. But even for one minute of recording, approximately 32MB of memory is wasted.
Fairly good compatibility with Windows and Mac.
AIFF
An analog of WAV from Apple developers. This is also a container and usually contains sound in PCM format as well. Good compatibility with Windows.
Lossy compressed audio formats
Truly popular formats for everyone.
MP3
In accordance with the MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 standard. It appeared in 1993 and instantly won universal love precisely because of its economy in memory consumption.
A CD can store the complete discography of your favorite band.
Throw some records in the glove compartment and you can enjoy music from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok.
During this time, you can listen to all the books by all the writers worth listening to.
The MP3 format is such a solid eunuch, from which all the most reluctant cut, but began to show the ability to accumulate and save. Also, MP3 is a very inexpensive format.
The main advantage is that he leans on everything that he just plays and sings.
CAA
An advanced form of audio encoding. The younger but advanced brother of MP3. It has slightly improved sound characteristics and a higher compression ratio.
Applies to Android, iOS, iTunes, YouTube, Nintendo, and the latest PlayStation.
It is also a folk format, but for a little more advanced people. Which is reflected in the title.
OGG
In general, this is not a format, but a container, and in fact the name OGG says nothing about the sound it contains.
However, most of the time it contains the Vorbis codec.
Significantly improved sound quality relative to other lossy compression formats.
Smaller files can be recorded with the same sound quality.
An even cheaper format than MP3.
The problem is that the OGG format is free, so nobody invests in its promotion. Therefore, it may not be compatible everywhere and incompatibilities may arise.
Then you have to convert to MP3.
WMA
Microsoft’s proprietary format, therefore, although it is an improved version of MP3 and OGG, has not received widespread use and is not compatible with most devices and platforms.
Advice. If it is possible to use WMA instead of MP3, use the former. Cheaper and more pleasant to the ear.
Lossless compressed audio formats
Lossless compressed audio formats
For owners of advanced and expensive devices, branded desktops and mobiles, with high-quality headphones and speakers.
The downside to these formats is that file sizes of the same recording length will be roughly two to three times larger.
However, although lossless compression is stated, it should not be confused with high-fidelity audio recordings. There are minimal losses, although notable only for musicians.
