Audio format guide for musicians — which format to use and when
WAV, FLAC, AIFF, MP3 — which audio format to use for production, delivery, distribution, and archiving. A practical guide for music professionals, not a technical manual.
The audio format question comes up constantly in music production: your mix engineer wants WAV, your DJ wants MP3, your distributor says WAV or FLAC, your streaming platform accepts either but prefers 24-bit. You have a FLAC from a sample library and you need to know if it is the same quality as a WAV. A collaborator sends you an AIFF and you are not sure if your DAW handles it.
This page gives clear, practical answers. Not a deep dive into psychoacoustics or codec implementation — a guide to which format to use for which purpose, and what the actual differences are in practice.
The two categories: lossless and lossy
Every audio format falls into one of two categories. Understanding this distinction answers most format questions.
Lossless formats store audio data with no quality reduction. The audio you encode is identical to the audio you decode. WAV, FLAC, and AIFF are all lossless. The differences between them are about compression, compatibility, and metadata support — not about audio quality.
Lossy formats apply irreversible compression that permanently removes audio data. The trade-off is dramatically smaller file sizes at the cost of quality that cannot be recovered. MP3, AAC, and OGG are all lossy. Once a file is lossy, it cannot be made lossless again — the removed data is gone permanently.
The practical rule: use lossless for anything you will process further (mixing, mastering, editing). Use lossy for delivery to end listeners only.
Lossless formats — WAV, FLAC, AIFF
WAV (Waveform Audio File Format)
WAV is the industry standard for professional audio delivery and the most universally compatible lossless format. It is uncompressed — the file size directly reflects the audio data with no further reduction. Every professional DAW, every plugin, every piece of audio software handles WAV without issue.
WAV's limitation: metadata support is inconsistent across implementations. ID3 tags embedded in WAVs are not always read correctly by all software. For catalog management, FLAC's superior metadata support is an advantage.
Use WAV for:
- Session source files and raw recordings
- Deliverables to mix engineers and mastering engineers
- Stems delivered for remixing or sync placement
- Any file that will be processed further by another party
- Distribution uploads where your distributor requires WAV
FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec)
FLAC achieves lossless compression — the decoded audio is bit-for-bit identical to the original, but the file is typically 40–60% smaller than an equivalent WAV. A 100 MB WAV becomes approximately 40–60 MB as FLAC with zero quality loss.
FLAC also has excellent metadata support, making it well suited for catalog storage where BPM, key, genre, moods, and other fields need to travel reliably with the file. Most modern DAWs and all professional playback software handle FLAC. Some older DAWs and some hardware devices do not — check compatibility before using FLAC as a delivery format.
Use FLAC for:
- Archiving and catalog storage (same quality as WAV, smaller file size)
- Sharing files where file size is a constraint
- Music libraries and sample collections
- Any lossless delivery where the recipient's software is confirmed to support it
AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format)
AIFF is Apple's lossless format and functionally equivalent to WAV in audio quality — both are uncompressed lossless. AIFF has better metadata support than standard WAV. It is the native format for some older Macintosh recording software and some hardware samplers.
In most modern production contexts, WAV and AIFF are interchangeable in terms of quality. The choice is usually driven by workflow conventions rather than technical requirements.
Use AIFF for:
- Logic Pro projects that default to AIFF
- Hardware samplers that prefer AIFF
- Any context where WAV and AIFF are interchangeable and AIFF is the workflow convention
Lossy formats — MP3, AAC
MP3
MP3 is the most widely recognised lossy format. Bitrate (measured in kbps) determines quality and file size:
- 128 kbps — adequate for casual listening, noticeable quality reduction to trained ears
- 192 kbps — a reasonable middle ground for non-critical listening
- 256 kbps — high quality, near-transparent to most listeners in most contexts
- 320 kbps — the highest standard MP3 bitrate; near-indistinguishable from lossless to most listeners on typical playback systems
For professional music delivery, 320 kbps is the minimum. DJ promos are typically delivered at 320 kbps. Below 256 kbps is not appropriate for professional delivery.
Use MP3 for:
- DJ promo delivery (320 kbps standard)
- Reference tracks sent for informal listening
- Files sent to contacts where download size is a concern
- Consumer playback contexts where lossless is not required
Never use MP3 for:
- Source files that will be processed further (each generation of lossy encoding compounds degradation)
- Stems delivered to a mix or mastering engineer
- Distribution uploads to a distributor (always use WAV or FLAC)
- Any file where you want to preserve the option to process or re-export at full quality
AAC (Advanced Audio Codec)
AAC is the lossy format used by Apple Music, YouTube, and many streaming platforms for their delivered audio. At equivalent bitrates, AAC generally sounds better than MP3 — it achieves similar perceptual quality at lower bitrates. However, it is less universally compatible than MP3 across all playback software and devices.
Use AAC for:
- Output from Apple ecosystem software where it is the default
- Files where Apple Music or YouTube compatibility is specifically needed
For most professional music workflows, MP3 is the more practical lossy format due to its universal compatibility.
Format choice by workflow stage
Recording: Your DAW's native format or WAV at your session's sample rate and bit depth (typically 24-bit / 44.1 or 48 kHz).
Production and editing: WAV or AIFF within your DAW. Never introduce lossy formats into a production chain.
Mixing: Deliver stems to your mix engineer as WAV at the session's native resolution. Receive the mix back as WAV or AIFF.
Mastering: Deliver the mix to the mastering engineer as WAV at the session's native resolution (24-bit / 44.1 or 48 kHz minimum). Receive the master back as WAV at the distribution-appropriate resolution.
Distribution: WAV or FLAC at 16-bit or 24-bit / 44.1 kHz (check your distributor's specific requirements). The distributor transcodes to each platform's required format.
DJ promo delivery: MP3 at 320 kbps, or WAV for key contacts where file size is not a concern.
Archiving: FLAC for lossless storage at smaller file size. WAV if universal compatibility across any future playback system is the priority.
Sync delivery (initial consideration): WAV for the full track. MP3 at 320 kbps for quick reference. Once a placement is confirmed, WAV for the formal delivery.
Converting between formats
Lossless to lossless (WAV → FLAC, FLAC → WAV, WAV → AIFF): No quality loss. Convert freely as needed.
Lossless to lossy (WAV → MP3): Quality is permanently reduced. The resulting MP3 cannot be converted back to a WAV of equivalent quality — the removed data is gone. Only convert to lossy as a final delivery step.
Lossy to lossless (MP3 → WAV): This does not restore quality. An MP3 converted to WAV is a WAV file containing MP3-quality audio. The file is larger; the quality is not better. The quality degradation from the original MP3 encoding is permanent and cannot be recovered.
Lossy to lossy (MP3 at 320 kbps → MP3 at 192 kbps): Each generation of lossy encoding reduces quality further. Avoid transcoding between lossy formats.
What TYFRA Vault stores and how
Vault accepts WAV, FLAC, AIFF, and MP3. Files are stored at original quality — no re-encoding is applied on upload or storage. A 24-bit / 48 kHz WAV is stored as a 24-bit / 48 kHz WAV. A FLAC at any resolution is stored as FLAC and decoded at full quality for playback. An MP3 at 320 kbps is stored at 320 kbps.
For catalog management, FLAC offers the best combination of lossless quality, smaller file size, and reliable metadata support. For professional delivery workflows where universal compatibility is the priority, WAV is the standard. Vault handles both equally.
How TYFRA fits
- Vault accepts WAV, FLAC, AIFF, MP3 — all stored at original quality, no re-encoding
- 150MB per file — accommodates lossless formats at professional resolution for standard lengths
- FLAC particularly suited to catalog storage: lossless quality, smaller files, reliable metadata
- Audio analysis: BPM/key auto-detect per track regardless of format
- Complete metadata fields stored per file: ISRC, ISWC, BPM, key, moods, instruments, credits
- £9.99/mo · free tier available
Product verification: confirm whether the 150MB per file limit applies equally across membership tiers.
Related on TYFRA
Common questions
Your data flows with you across TYFRA
These aren't separate apps. Your tracks, metadata, splits, contacts, and conversations stay connected—so every tool in the TYFRA suite can work from the same source of truth.