Convert WAV to MP3
We turn WAV into MP3 right in your browser — the file never goes to a server.
What you will lose
- Surround will be mixed down to stereo — extra channels do not survive this conversion.
- Compression becomes lossy: the original quality cannot be restored
How they differ
| WAV | MP3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Lossless | yes | no |
| Lossy | no | yes |
| Multichannel | yes | no |
| Tags | no | yes |
| Released | 1991 | 1993 |
| Author | Microsoft, IBM | Fraunhofer IIS |
WAV
Good at
- Lossless and uncompressed: what was recorded is what is stored
- Opens instantly in any editor, nothing to unpack
- Works as a master for further processing
Awkward about
- Enormous: a minute of stereo is about 10 MB
- Tags exist on paper but not everything reads them
- Usually too big to send by email
Use it when
- 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
MP3
Good at
- Plays literally everywhere, from a 2003 car stereo to a smart speaker
- Predictably small: an hour of speech fits in 30 MB
- Every player reads its tags, without exception
Awkward about
- Lossy, and re-encoding it again is audible
- Two channels at most — surround will not survive
- At the same size, Opus and AAC sound better
Use it when
- 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
Common questions
- Does the file get uploaded to a server?
- Yes, this pair needs the server: browsers cannot encode that format. The file and the result are deleted within a couple of hours and never shared.
- Will transparency survive?
- No. MP3 has no transparency — it becomes a solid background.
- Can I get the original quality back afterwards?
- No. MP3 is lossy, and the discarded detail cannot be recovered. Keep the original if you may still need it.
- How many files, and how large?
- Up to 10 files at a time, 200 MB each. No sign-up, no watermarks.