formatika

Audio: tools and formats

Everything we can do with Audio files. Most of it right in your browser, with nothing uploaded.

Tools

Formats, and when each one fits

MP3since 1993
  • — It has to open for anyone, on anything
  • — A podcast, an audiobook, a recorded lecture
  • — The file goes to a person, not into further processing
WAVsince 1991
  • — Editing or processing is coming and quality must not drop
  • — A short fragment: an interface sound, a sample
  • — The file is for a program, not for a listener
FLACsince 2001
  • — A home collection you do not want to re-encode
  • — An archive of recordings — a master for later
  • — You need the original quality with tags
AACsince 1997
  • — Listening on a phone without wasting quality
  • — A voice memo, or a track pulled out of a video
  • — You want a balance between size and sound
Ogg Vorbissince 2000
  • — Sound in a game or an app where we choose the format
  • — Freedom from licensing fees matters
  • — You want an MP3 replacement without losing quality
Opussince 2012
  • — Voice: a podcast, an interview, a voice message
  • — You need the smallest size that still sounds clear
  • — The file is listened to in a browser or a messenger

Common conversions

Each page compares the formats by facts and shows compression figures we measured ourselves, not generalities.