Question 1

Which format should I convert to?

Accepted Answer

MP3 for maximum compatibility: every device and player on earth accepts it. WAV when an editor or studio asks for uncompressed audio, accepting the large files that come with it. M4A (AAC) for Apple devices and slightly better quality than MP3 at the same size. OGG or Opus for the web and Discord-style platforms, where they are smaller at the same quality. FLAC when you want compression with zero loss, for archiving a collection properly.

Question 2

Does converting lose quality?

Accepted Answer

Converting between lossy formats (MP3 to M4A, for example) re-encodes an already-compressed signal, which loses a little more each generation, like photocopying a photocopy. Converting a lossless source (WAV, FLAC) to a lossy format is the normal, intended direction and sounds clean at the quality settings here. Converting lossy to WAV or FLAC cannot restore what was lost; it just wraps the same sound in a lossless, much bigger container.

Question 3

What bitrate should I choose for MP3 or M4A?

Accepted Answer

For music, 192 kbps is the honest sweet spot and 256 to 320 kbps is archival-grade caution. For speech, lectures, podcasts, voice notes, 96 to 128 kbps is indistinguishable from higher in practice and much smaller. This converter defaults sensibly per format and lets you choose where your purpose needs it, with file size estimates following the choice rather than surprising you after.

Question 4

Why does my converted file have a different length by a fraction of a second?

Accepted Answer

Encoders pad audio with tiny amounts of silence at the start and end (a few milliseconds of priming samples), which players normally skip via metadata. A difference of a tenth of a second on a converted file is this padding, not missing content. For sample-accurate work like loop creation, WAV to WAV handling in a DAW remains the right environment.

Question 5

Is the conversion done online or on my device?

Accepted Answer

On your device. FFmpeg runs as WebAssembly in your browser, so voice notes, unreleased tracks and client audio are converted without being uploaded anywhere. The engine loads once (about 30 MB) and is cached for every audio and video tool on this site afterwards.

Audio Format Converter

Use Audio Format Converter

How to use the Audio Format Converter

Add the audio

Pick the target format

Convert it

Download the new file

About the Audio Format Converter