What is Audio Converter [Quick Guide]
Audio converter is audio conversion software of music file formats and audio resolution. The article about audio converter bases. What is lossy and lossless, compressed and uncompressed files.
File format is type of storing of audio data into computer file (mp3, wav, flac, mp4, m4a, ape, cda, ...).
Files formats divide to lossy and lossless
Lossless formats stored original audio staff from recording studio without loss of sound quality. Example: wav, aiff, aiff-c/sowt, flac, ape, alac (apple lossless).
Lossy formats loss some "quantity" of original sound quality. Example: mp3, aiff-c, wav/µ-Law, mpeg4 (mp4), aac (m4a, mp4).
Lossy formats have lesser hard disk (or other storage) space than lossless.
Lossless formats divide to compressed and uncompressed
Uncompressed formats stored original audio stuff as is. Examples: wav, aiff, aiff-c/sowt.
Compressed formats stored original audio stuff after compressing without loss of sound quality. After restoring from lossless compressed formats we get original audio staff without any changing (bit-to-bit). Examples: flac, ape, WavPack (.wv), alac.
There is debate about whether FLAC keep sound quality. Theoretically must keep bit-to-bit.
What is audio resolution?
Audio resolution is sample rate (44, 48, 88, ..., 192, ... kHz) and bit-depth (1, 16, 24, .... bit) of each sample (minimum particle) of digital audio (music) stream.
Sample rate conversion is lossy?
Yes. For any combination input and output sampling rates we have information loss. If we artificially add information (oversampling - increasing sample rate), we don't known true value added info anyway. See more oversampling and downsampling.
Bit-depth conversion is lossy?
Yes. Information loss also. Except, we increase integer bit-depth value (convert 16 to 24 bit, or 16 to 32 bit). Converting 16 bit integer to 32 bit floating point has loss.
But converting 16 bit integer -> 32 bit floating point without any processing -> 16 bit integer is lossless. It possible for correct rounding.
Resume
1. Audio converter is software for changing resolution and storing format of audio files.
2. Audio files store full audio information or partially lost (less size).
3. Size of music files with full audio information possible decrease with lossless compressing.
Author: Yuri Korzunov, June 26 2014
Read more:
Free audiophile converter of music files
WAV, mp3, FLAC, DSF, DFF, ISO, CUE,...
WAV, FLAC, AIFF, ALAC, (1-bit audio) ISO, DFF, DSF, WMA, mp3, CD-audio...
WARNING: DSF, DFF is supported in maximal PROduce-RD and configurable Modula-R
FREE demo mute 2 second silence in the output middle of ISO tracks, DSF, DFF
with length more 3 minutes
