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Music Information |
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Beginners Guide to Music File Formats
Are you confused by the various types of music file formats out there? Most of you would have heard of the popular MP3 format, but are you aware there are other alternative digital music formats like WAV, WMA, RA and MIDI? Some of these give better sound quality than MP3 (e.g. the WAV format) but also need more disk storage space. Others like WMA give file sizes smaller than the MP3 format and are more suited for portable music players. Let's run through the various file formats now: The MP3 File Format MP3 files have the extension ".mp3" and are available for download from many web sites. MP3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3) technology compresses a sound sequence into a very small file (usually one twelfth of of the original file size). The designers of MP3 compression algorithm managed to do this by eliminating sounds that the human ear cannot perceive. While MP3 technology is impressive, it has been abused by music pirates. One can very easily create MP3 files from commercial CDs and make them available for download. The RIAA and major music companies have been cracking down on the distribution and sharing of MP3 files in this manner. The WMA File Format WMA (Windows Media Audio) is Microsoft's proprietary music file format that it is marketing aggressively. WMA files are smaller in size than MP3 files, but still retain a decent level of sound quality. This format is getting very popular in websites for sampling music and also in portable music players. However, whether WMA will overtake the popularity of MP3 remains to be seen. The WAV File Format A wave file is characterized by the file extension ".wav". This music file format provides raw, uncompressed audio data. Originally invented by Microsoft, wave files are still used widely (examples include your start up and shut down sounds in Windows). Audio quality is excellent, but the file size is huge. A full pop song in wave format may take up to 30 MB of disk space or more. The AIFF File Format The AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format) is a popular music file formats used in the Apple Macintosh operating system. In a way, they are the Macintosh equivalent of wave files. AIFF files have the file extension ".aif" when accessed via a PC. They contain raw audio data (which result in excellent sound quality) but take up a large amount of disk space. The MIDI File Format The MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) file format was originally created for recording and playing music on digital synthesizers. MIDI files are very small in size. The reason for this is that the MIDI file only contains information on how music is produced (e.g. note-ons and note-offs). The sound card which plays back the MIDI file takes this information and plays back music using an in-built soundcard wavetable. The RA File Format RA (RealAudio) files support streaming technology. Created by Progressive Networks, an RA file is highly optimized for live, streaming audio from websites. RA files are best played back on RealAudio players which are freely downloadable from Progressive Networks. Conclusion Well, that wraps up our coverage of the most popular music file formats out there. You may be interested to know that there are many software applications which can convert music from one format to another (e.g. MP3 to WAV or WAV to AIFF). Do a search for these applications at www.download.com. About The Author Gary Hendricks - http://digital-music-guide.com gary_hendricks@digital-music-guide.com
MORE RESOURCES: Ranked: The World’s Richest Music Artists Visual Capitalist Jack White, singer, guitarist, record producer, Detroit native Detroit Free Press How a twangy country ballad captivated the nation The Washington Post Dolores Keane, Singer Known as the ‘Soul of Ireland,’ Dies at 72 The New York Times For Your Consideration: Running Without Music Autostraddle AI Music & Creators Conference Bennett College Album Review – The Droptines – “Drought Flower” - Saving Country Music Meet Tony Vick, Evanston’s musical polymath Evanston RoundTable Door County woman shares her love of horses and music with others Green Bay Press-Gazette Country music star on returning to road after health emergency: ‘Taking no prisoners’ - PennLive.com Brick Church Celebrates Good Friday with Music Crucifixion chelseanewsny.com Ashley Maher’s Music of Hope and Beauty World Music Central Who Is the Polka-Dot Band That Plays Virtuosic Rock? Angine de Poitrine. The New York Times How the introspection of music works within shared spaces The Bowdoin Orient More Than Music: How DJ iSizzle Is Turning Weddings Into Story-Driven Experiences Bold Journey Magazine TradeWinds responds to Country music fest controversy St Pete Catalyst Gnoss - Fresh Scottish Folk Fairbanks Daily News-Miner White Lake Chamber Music Festival Announces 2026 Season Shoreline Media Group Local benefit concert to raise funds for music educators BG Falcon Media Novelist/musician Thomas Meinecke will present music of Bix Beiderbecke at Davenport event OurQuadCities This Iranian music school was a haven for children. After an airstrike ‘there is nothing left’ - CNN Stewart Copeland brings The Police’s biggest hits to San Francisco — with a full orchestra sfchronicle.com 'Dreamgirls' 20th Anniversary Celebration Returns to Detroit Music Hall ClickOnDetroit | WDIV Local 4 Downtown Logan welcomes new music store after two-decade hiatus The Logan Banner Larry McCraw guides Mickee Faust Club's musical mayhem Tallahassee Democrat Do’s and Don’ts of Connecting Through Classical Music: An Autistic Perspective Autism Spectrum News Country music deaths in 2026: A look at those who have been lost lehighvalleylive NPCC Departments of Theatre and Music and North Platte Community Theatre Present “Next to Normal” North Platte Post Colton Corner: Combining talents in a musical setting Woodburn Independent Good Sports: North Valley track and field coach aims to make impact in both sports and music ABC30 Fresno Ella Langley Pulled Out All the Stops for Her “Choosin’ Texas” Music Video — and Fans Are Obsessed Country Living Musikfest named Best Music Festival in U.S. Times News Online EVIL MISTRESS: A Lifelong Affair with Music, Part Fourteen Pagosa Daily Post Four Music Mondays coming up this month at the RACC Rome Sentinel A Billy Strings Review That Isn’t Really About The Music [Videos] Live For Live Music Matthew’s Music Corner: 10 years since Prince passed away news-daily.com Music, laughs and chants at No Kings The Journal of the San Juan Islands Carl Walker Walker West Music Academy Legacy Twin Cities Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder The Analingus Triptych: The three songs Mozart wrote about eating ass dangerousminds.net LHS band wins best overall music program The Lewiston Tribune Free Music Friday: Jack Nelson KBTX News 3 ‘Music is like vitamins:’ Singing circle offers support for people with dementia - altoonamirror.com Music Education faculty member a visiting scholar State University of New York at Fredonia Music is in the air: Downtown Live in Longview kicks off spring concert series Longview News-Journal U2, Anne Hathaway: 9 Songs We’re Talking About This Week The New York Times Melancholy Babies and Rosa Pullman play first free Twentynine Palms Music Series show tonight (4/4) Z107.7 FM Joshua Tree Texas Tech Music Professor Celebrates 60 Years of Service Texas Tech University Robert Plant, J. Roddy Walston and the magic of music Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal Music festival CBS6 Fox 59 UMG and Believe settle lawsuit that alleged ‘industrial-scale’ copyright infringement of Universal’s music Music Business Worldwide |
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