FLAC, WAV, AIFF, DSD … these are just some of the acronyms you can find when looking for a digital format. They are also accompanied by technical data such as sample rates and bit depth. So many terms can leave you more misplaced than a chicken in a dance. And unless you are an expert in digital sound, the process to choose the audio format that best suits your needs can be a mess. But if they explain it to you, the subject is relatively simple. That is why in Culturasonora we have prepared a complete guide on the different audio formats used.
Audio formats: OGG vs Opus vs FLAC vs ALAC
Nowadays a lot of the music that is heard sounds through online platforms. It is worth talking about the audio formats used by services such as Spotify, Tidal, or Apple Music.
What is the OGG format?
OGG audio formats are like supercharged MP3s. They are compressed audio files, which means that they have a size that allows transmission via WiFi, but at the same time they avoid damage that is usually generated in the compression process. Spotify uses these OGG formats. Depending on how much you want to pay for this service you can listen to them through this portal with different sample rates: from 96 kbps, to Premium 320 kbps files. The audio quality provided by Spotify for Premium users is quite good.
What is the Opus format?
Opus is a new codec that uses the Ogg container. It was developed by the same creators of FLAC, with the help of Mozilla and Skype. It can handle up to 510 kbps and 48 kHz. This new format stands out for its low latency, so it is ideal for online audio streams. Its average latency of 22.5 ms is well below other codecs. It is versatile, open and more and more platforms are adopting it.
What is the FLAC format?
With FLAC audio codecs the sound quality increases with respect to the OGG. They are Lossless, or lossless, audio formats that perform a great trick: they compress file sizes up to 60% without losing quality. In addition, they allow the transmission of sample rates of up to 1,411 kbps, which is much higher than any other audio format. This is the format used by the Tidal platform, the best service for high quality audio transmissions.
What is the ALAC format?
Finally we have the ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec). This format is basically Apple’s alternative to FLAC. It is the format used by Itunes and for Apple Music broadcasts.
