Audio Formats Explained: Everything You Need to Know

Uncompressed Formats: WAV and AIFF

Uncompressed formats store audio exactly as it was captured, with no data removed or compressed. WAV (Waveform Audio File Format) is the standard on Windows and the most universally supported uncompressed format. AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format) is Apple's equivalent and is functionally identical to WAV in quality. Both produce large files (about 10 MB per minute for stereo CD quality) because every single audio sample is stored at full precision. Use these for recording, editing, and mastering. They are the gold standard for quality.

• WAV: Universal uncompressed format, works everywhere
• AIFF: Apple's uncompressed format, identical quality to WAV
• File size: ~10 MB per minute (44.1 kHz, 16-bit, stereo)
• Use case: Recording, editing, mastering

Lossless Compressed: FLAC and ALAC

Lossless compression reduces file size without removing any audio data. The original audio can be perfectly reconstructed from the compressed file, like a ZIP file for audio. FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) is open source and widely supported on Android, Windows, and Linux. ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec) is Apple's equivalent and is the default lossless format in iTunes and Apple Music. Both reduce file size to about 50-60% of the original WAV. The tradeoff is slightly more CPU usage during playback, which is negligible on modern devices.

• FLAC: Open-source lossless, broad support outside Apple ecosystem
• ALAC: Apple's lossless format, native support in iTunes and Apple devices
• File size: ~50-60% of equivalent WAV
• Use case: Archiving, music libraries, audiophile listening

Lossy Compressed: MP3, AAC, and OGG

Lossy compression dramatically reduces file size by permanently removing audio data that most people cannot hear. MP3 is the most widely recognized audio format in the world and is supported by essentially every device and application. AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) is technically superior to MP3 at the same bitrate and is used by Apple Music, YouTube, and Spotify. OGG Vorbis is an open-source lossy format used by Spotify's desktop app and many games and open-source projects. At 128-192 kbps, all three sound virtually identical for speech and very close for music.

• MP3: Universal compatibility, the safe default for sharing
• AAC: Better quality per bitrate than MP3, used by Apple and YouTube
• OGG Vorbis: Open-source, used in games and Spotify desktop
• File size: ~1 MB per minute at 128 kbps
• Use case: Distribution, streaming, sharing, podcasts

WebM Audio

WebM is a multimedia container format developed by Google, primarily used for web video but also capable of containing audio only. It typically uses the Opus codec for audio, which is technically excellent, offering high quality at low bitrates. Chrome's MediaRecorder API often defaults to WebM when recording in the browser. The format works well for web playback but has limited support in some desktop media players and is not accepted by most podcast platforms. If your browser recorder outputs WebM, you may want to convert to MP3 or WAV for broader compatibility.