Steve PMHDid you know that the first song that was ever recorded was Au Clair de la Lune? This was the work of Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville, and, surprisingly, it was way before the invention of the phonograph.
Since then, recorded music has evolved to an impressive degree. It started with the phonograph, went through the gramophone, and more countless phases until it reached today’s digital world.
Now, you could easily connect your headphones to your laptop or smartphone and listen to your favorite tracks. But, what are the types of music files that most of us use each day?
In this article, we’ll go through five of them in-depth. So, are you ready to dive in?
MP3 File Format
Without a doubt, MP3 is the most popular type of music file, that’s why it’s the first on our list. It stands for MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3, and the company responsible for its existence is Moving Pictures Experts Group.
Even though this audio format was founded in 1993, we all rely on it heavily until this day. But, what makes the MP3 format so special that it’s the most common of all music files?
Advantages of MP3 Files
The simple reason behind this huge popularity of MP3 files is that they’re loaded with many benefits. Let’s explore each one of these qualities.
Space-Saving Compression
In an MP3 file, the audio file is compressed to about one-tenth of its original size. The purpose of this compression is to get rid of all the sounds that the human ear won’t catch. Therefore, the file will only include the actual data you’ll want to hear.
As a result, your MP3 should take less disk space than other audio files.
Great Sound Quality
Even after the compression process, the sound quality of the MP3 file data is pretty close to CD quality. So, the desirable beat, deep bass, and vibrant treble tones won’t lose much of their effect.
Thus, a lot of people depend on MP3 music files for their websites, presentations, and more.
Maximum Compatibility
Another factor that makes MP3 files favored by many users is that it’s a universal music extension. You can play those files on any digital device without facing any compatibility problems.
The following devices can support MP3 files with no special software.
- Personal computer
- Laptop
- Smartphone
- Digital audio player
- Smartwatch
- Smart TV
Drawbacks of MP3 Files
Even though MP3 file formats are everybody’s number one preference, they can have a few shortcomings.
Not the Best for Looping
You’re probably familiar with one or two seconds of silence before and after the music begins when playing an MP3 file. So, if you try to loop your music, you’ll end up with a pause at the beginning and end of each track.
While this isn’t a huge deal-breaker, it can be a bit annoying if you want a seamless loop.
Not the Highest Quality
Sure, MP3 files perform pretty well, but they’re not the best when compared to other file formats. For instance, WAV, WMA, and FLAC files can give you a better sound output than that of MP3 files.
These files are lossless compressed audio formats. This means that they also go through a compression process. Yet, the algorithms of this technique are different than the ones used for MP3 compression.
As a result, the aforementioned files don’t lose as much sound quality as the MP3 files do.
FLAC Audio File
A FLAC audio file is an immediate alternative to an MP3 file, so we just had to include it on our list. This buddy here has been introduced in 2001, and its name stands for Free Lossless Audio Codec.
As the name suggests, a FLAC file is a result of a compression method that keeps data loss to the minimum. In fact, the compressed file won’t lose a single bit of musical information, which we can’t say for an MP3 file.
So, what about the rest of the things that make FLAC files unique?
Advantages of FLAC Files
Here are a few reasons why many people prefer FLAC files to their MP3 siblings.
Space-Efficient
Even though FLAC files can be six times bigger than MP3 files, they can still be considered space-saving. After the compression of a FLAC file, the size will be reduced to about 60% of its original size.
To make the picture clearer, keep in mind that a FLAC music album can be half the size of its original CD.
Immense Quality
What’s even more impressive about FLAC is that it preserves as much sound quality as possible despite its compression. This makes it one of the closest formats to CD-quality music.
This file is quite similar to a ZIP file. Once you uncompress it, the music that it includes should sound the same as the one you’d find on a physical CD. Pretty cool, right?
Ultimately, FLAC files are available in 24-bit/192kHz formats, which is higher than 16-bit CD quality. This way, you’ll be able to boost your audio quality even further.
Compatible With Hi-Fi Devices
One of the best things about FLAC files is that you can play them on most Hi-Fi devices. There’s a wide range of audio players that support this file format. Plus, multiroom musical systems won’t object to playing it.
However, some devices might require you to install certain software to let you play FLAC files.
Drawbacks of FLAC Files
FLAC files may be great when it comes to sound quality, but they have one issue to consider.
To play FLAC music files, you might need to do a few things first depending on the device you’re using.
For example, iOS devices don’t naturally support FLAC files within iTunes. Instead, you’ll have to download apps from the iTunes Store to be able to play those files.
This isn’t the same for Android devices, where you could play FLAC files straight away without the help of an app. Also, Windows 10 is compatible with these files natively. Yet, older versions of Windows will need you to install plug-ins or special software to listen to FLAC.
WAV File Format
Since we’ve already discussed compressed file formats, it’s time to address one of the most popular uncompressed formats out there. WAV means Waveform Audio format, and it was founded by Microsoft and IBM in 1991.
Advantages of WAV Files
Even though WAV files aren’t as mainstream as MP3 or FLAC, they’re still used for CD recording. If you’re wondering why, the following points might answer your question.
No Data Loss
Because a WAV file doesn’t undergo compression, it doesn’t lose any data to reduce its size. In other words, this buddy here can give you the same sound quality as the one on a CD album.
Yet, with that huge advantage comes a major downside. Because a WAV file isn’t compressed, it’ll take so much disk space. In fact, one minute of music in WAV format can equal 10 MBs, which is mind-blowing!
Grants You Perfect Loops
Remember how we mentioned that MP3 files aren’t the best for creating loops? Well, WAV files are the opposite in this regard.
Because WAV files are lossless, you won’t find that stretch of silence at each track’s beginning and end. So, using special software, you could make loops seamlessly with no trouble.
Drawbacks of WAV Files
Because of the huge size of a WAV file, you may be unable to do a lot of things.
For instance, uploading music files to a website may seem impossible. Also, once you convert a compressed file to a WAV file, you won’t get to restore the full sound of the original source.
For these reasons, WAV files are mostly used when recording CDs to ensure maximum quality. Not many people use WAV file formats when listening to music on their computers or smart devices.
WMA File Format
Another creation by Microsoft is the WMA file format, which means Windows Media Audio. What’s admirable about this file type is that it can exist in both lossy and lossless formats.
Without further ado, let’s discuss its pros and cons.
Advantages of WMA Files
Even though it isn’t as popular as MP3 or FLAC files, a WMA file still has many plus points to like about it.
High-Rate Audio Compression
Lossy WMA files are made by high-rate audio compression. To make things more simple, a WMA file can include high-quality music without taking so much space.
Sure, some quality will still be compromised, but the majority of people might not have trouble with that. If you’re an audiophile who’s all about flawless sound quality, you may want to go for FLAC files instead.
Great for Windows Users
WMA files are favorites of Windows users since these files are native to the operating system. You won’t need to install a specific app or software to get the best out of these music files.
Also, Microsoft users can enjoy countless updates that can benefit them if they’re in the music industry. For example, the editions after WMA 7 have a much-needed upside, which is certificate encryption.
This special feature can protect music copyrights, which makes it a must-have for musicians, producers, etc.
Drawbacks of WMA Files
A few things have caused WMA files to be less popular than the previous music file formats.
First of all, the lossless WMA compression isn’t as thorough as the one used in FLAC or MP3 files. So, the sound quality will be slightly less than that of a physical CD.
Second of all, WMA files are limited to the Windows operating system only. So, you might face some trouble trying to make WMA files work on your phone, tablet, or smart TV.
Also, you won’t be able to upload a WMA file online.
AAC Audio File
The AAC file format is used widely across the globe, so it had to find its way to our list. You may be surprised to find out that you may be unknowingly using it on a daily basis. But how is that?
This format can support a wide variety of extensions such as .3gp, .aac, .m4a, and more. So, the AAC encoding technique is the default for iTunes, iOS devices, Playstations, Youtube, and other places.
Are you ready to know more about its upsides and downsides?
Advantages of AAC Files
As you can see, AAC files are everywhere in the digital world. So, let’s see what gives them that advantage.
Maximum Compatibility
The best thing about AAC files is that a lot of devices recognize them with no hiccups in the process. Most smartphones on the market support AAC files, whether they use Android or iOS operating systems.
Also, you may listen to AAC music files comfortably on your laptop, PC, or tablet. Better yet, most music players won’t mind playing those files, either. The Sony Walkman, Apple iPod, Samsung Galaxy player are valid examples of that.
Awesome Quality
AAC files can offer better audio quality than MP3 files. Additionally, AAC files come with less storage space, which creates an incredible balance that anyone could hope for.
Therefore, if you wish to save more space on your device, AAC music files are the way to go!
Short Decode Times
When you decode an AAC file by playing it, it should take only a few seconds to start much like an MP3 file. We can’t say the same for larger or more complicated formats such as FLAC or WAV files.
Most top-quality files may require the installation of plug-ins to work on your computer or smart device. And, once you start them, they’ll take a while until the compression unravels and the music starts playing.
Drawbacks of AAC Files
Luckily, the downsides of AAC files aren’t that many, but they’re important to note all the same.
First off, AAC files take considerable time to encode. For instance, converting a 4-minute WAV file to AAC format can take up to ten seconds.
Imagine having to encode hundreds or thousands of files, which DJs do on a regular basis. That could take days!
Secondly, encoding AAC files requires super CPU power, which could put a lot of strain on your computer. Besides, decoding an AAC music file needs even higher CPU utilization.
