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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: The ‘Race Against Time’ to Save Music Legends’ Decaying Tapes The New York Times Sabrina Carpenter to White House: Don’t use my music to tout ‘inhumane’ agenda - The Washington Post Sabrina Carpenter to White House: Don’t use my music to tout ‘inhumane’ agenda The Washington Post Tell us your favourite albums of 2025 The Guardian Apple Music’s Replay 2025 is here TechCrunch “Apt,” “Luther” and “Die With A Smile” Lead Apple Music’s Top Global Songs of 2025 The Hollywood Reporter Supreme Court Hears Copyright Battle Over Online Music Piracy The New York Times Efforts to block internet music piracy hit Supreme Court skepticism The Washington Post My Deezer Year 2025: The music that defined the year and a retrospective of your own musical love story Deezer Newsroom Grammys will celebrate Latin music with prime-time CBS musical special Los Angeles Times Words & Music with Marfa wmot.org MSU experts: How divisive concepts laws affect music classrooms Michigan State University Historic Heights Theater sold to owners of Chicago's Music Box Theatre Bring Me The News Sony Music Publishing Elevates Jeff Smarr MusicRow.com A Ass Pocket of Blues NUVO.net CSB and SJU music community unites for Christmas shows College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University Udio 2.0 Could Face Consumers Reluctant to Embrace AI Music luminatedata.com URI music professor releases new album inspired by representation – Rhody Today The University of Rhode Island A joyful noise: Rounding up some holiday music offerings in and around Evanston Evanston RoundTable 11 Musical Love Letters From Artists to Their Heroes The New York Times Roundtable: What’s your favorite holiday music? dailycampus.com Clements to be inducted into Oklahoma Music Educators Association Hall of Fame Southeastern Oklahoma State University Sabrina Carpenter slams White House for using her song in 'evil and disgusting' social media video NBC News Interview: Composer Dalit Hadass Warshaw, Winner of the 2026 Azrieli Commission for Jewish Music Blogcritics Chicago’s Music Box Theatre Expands, Adding Screen and Acquiring Minnesota’s Heights Theater IndieWire Tosco Music Holiday Party Charlotte Parent Angel Du$t Premiere New Single & Music Video "DU$T" From Upcoming New Album "COLD 2 THE TOUCH" Metal Underground.com NWACC music drive fuels growth, sparks funding push, December concerts KUAF Public Radio Pittsburgh’s People of Year 2025 — Music: Danielle Mashuda and Maddy Lafferty Pittsburgh City Paper Music on the holiday horizon at MCC Meridian Star Tampa Bay’s best live music and concerts happening December 4-11 Creative Loafing Tampa Paleface Swiss Premiere New Single & Music Video "Everything Is Fine" From Upcoming New EP "The Wilted" Metal Underground.com Christian 'Mississippi soul' singer is AI. His music hit No. 1 on iTunes The Clarion-Ledger Fullerton College Breaks Ground on State-of-Art Music & Drama Complex Fullerton Observer Nominate Your 2026 Barefoot Country Music Fest Theme Ideas Now Cat Country 107.3 After 43 Years ‘Thriller’ Still Outpaces Modern Music The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint Apple Music Reveals the Top 5 Songs of 2025 — and the Internet Isn’t Letting One Detail Slide parade.com The Heavy Heavy with Laney Jones and the Spirits at The Southern Café & Music Hall 12/6 C-VILLE Weekly Drake Named Apple Music’s Most-Streamed Artist Worldwide in 2025 Ratings Game Music White House trolls Sabrina Carpenter with her own lyrics after she slams Trump admin for using her music in ICE video New York Post Blackpink’s Rose dominates Apple Music's year-end chart The Korea Herald |
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