audio recording formats

Uncompressed Audio Formats

WAV (Waveform Audio File Format): Industry standard for recording, editing, and mastering. Uncompressed, high quality, large file size. Universal compatibility.1 2 3 4 5 6 8
AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format): Apple’s equivalent to WAV. Uncompressed, high quality, large file size. Preferred in some Mac-based studios.2 3 4 5 6 8

FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec): Compresses audio without loss of quality. Popular for archiving, sharing, and hi-res listening. Not natively supported by all DAWs.1 2 3 4 5 6 8
ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec): Apple’s lossless format. Used in Apple Music and iTunes. Same quality as FLAC, but for Apple ecosystems.2 3 4 5 6 8

MP3 (MPEG Audio Layer III): Most common for distribution and streaming. Small file size, lower quality than lossless/uncompressed formats. Universal compatibility.1 2 3 4 5 6 8
AAC (Advanced Audio Coding): Used by Apple Music, YouTube, and many streaming platforms. Better quality than MP3 at similar bitrates.2 3 4 5
M4A (MPEG-4 Audio): Container format, often uses AAC compression. Common for downloads and streaming, especially in Apple environments.

DSD (Direct Stream Digital): Used for Super Audio CDs and some hi-res downloads. Very high quality, large file size, less common in mainstream production.2 5
Ogg Vorbis: Open-source, lossy format. Used in some games and streaming platforms (like Spotify).

WAV (Waveform Audio File Format): Industry standard for recording, editing, and mastering. Uncompressed, high quality, large file size. Universal compatibility.1 2 3 4 5 6 8
AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format): Apple’s equivalent to WAV. Uncompressed, high quality, large file size. Preferred in some Mac-based studios.2 3 4 5 6 8

FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec): Compresses audio without loss of quality. Popular for archiving, sharing, and hi-res listening. Not natively supported by all DAWs.1 2 3 4 5 6 8
ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec): Apple’s lossless format. Used in Apple Music and iTunes. Same quality as FLAC, but for Apple ecosystems.2 3 4 5 6 8

MP3 (MPEG Audio Layer III): Most common for distribution and streaming. Small file size, lower quality than lossless/uncompressed formats. Universal compatibility.1 2 3 4 5 6 8
AAC (Advanced Audio Coding): Used by Apple Music, YouTube, and many streaming platforms. Better quality than MP3 at similar bitrates.2 3 4 5
M4A (MPEG-4 Audio): Container format, often uses AAC compression. Common for downloads and streaming, especially in Apple environments.

DSD (Direct Stream Digital): Used for Super Audio CDs and some hi-res downloads. Very high quality, large file size, less common in mainstream production.2 5
Ogg Vorbis: Open-source, lossy format. Used in some games and streaming platforms (like Spotify).