Audio files are available in all sizes and types. Many people are familiar with the MP3. There are others such as AAC, WMA, OGG, FLAC, and much more. Probably you are wondering why there are so many standards and which one should you use. You need the right audio converter to carry out the task. It becomes more comfortable when you realize that the audio formats fall into three main categories. After knowing the category to choose, you should pick the right format in your preferred category that suits your needs.
Uncompressed Audio Formats
These are captured sound waves that have not been processed or converted to any given format. Thus, they are the most accurate. However, they require a lot of storage. For instance, a minute of recording can take up to 34 MB. They include the following:
PCM
PCM is an abbreviation for Pulse-Code Modulation. This is a digital version of the raw analog audio signals. In fact, this is the common audio format that is used in DVDs and CDs. If samples are taken at designated intervals that are linear in nature, then it is known as LPCM or Linear Pulse-Code Modulation.
WAV
WAV is an abbreviation for Waveform Audio File Format. It is also known as audio for Windows. It was developed by IBM and Microsoft in 1991. However, some WAV files are compressed. You can take of it as a Windows storage for audio formats. This means it can contain compressed audio files too.
Compressed Audio Formats
Compression is a technique that reduces the file size. It is done without losing the quality of the original file. There are two types of compression: lossy compression and lossless compression. However, this should not be confused with the high-resolution audio.
FLAC
FLA is an abbreviation of Free Lossless Audio Codec. It is now one of the popular compressed formats available since it was introduced in 2001. The good thing about this format is that it compresses the original file by over 60%. In addition, no data is lost. Moreover, it is royalty-free and open source. Therefore, you are free to use without worrying about intellectual property constraints.
ALAC
ALAC is an abbreviation for Apple Lossless Audio Codec, and it was created in 2004 and become an open source in 2011. It is commonly known as Apple Lossless. You will find it more efficient as compared to FLAC as far as compression is concerned.