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 Music File Formats (for Newbies) |
 Tue 16 May 2006, 22:09
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#1
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 Newbie Group: Members Posts: 2 Joined: 15-May 06 From: Jersey City - US Member No.: 79,773  |
Hey everyone, I'm new here and new to computer based recording. I've had iTunes for awhile, but never paid attention to what was going on "behind the scenes" until I recently started using GarageBand. My basic newbie question is this: What is the difference between .mp3, .m4a, and .aif files? All the files uploaded from my CDs on iTunes are .m4a and the ones transferred from GB are .aif. The .aif ones are much bigger file size, and I just found out how to change them to .mp3, which are much smaller. What am I losing/gaining by using the different formats? If there is a primer or tutorial I should check out please lead the way. I tried a search but didn't come up with much. Thanks for any info...
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Wed 17 May 2006, 02:50
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#2
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Moderator  Group: Team Posts: 74 Joined: 19-Dec 05 From: Austin - US Member No.: 74,134 |
.mp3 is a lossy compression scheme...pretty universal.
.m4a is an unprotected AAC file, which is a subset of Mpeg4. .m4p is a protected AAC file, like you'd get if you bought a song from the iTunes music store. It is a lossy format as well. Lossy compression takes sound and removes some of the information, resulting in a smaller file size. (That's a simplified answer.) .aif (aiff files) and .wav (wave files) are uncompressed audio, just like on a CD you'd buy in the store. What is lost in the compression? High end, stereo seperation, sound quality. Use uncompressed audio to make music, use the compressed formats to share your music with others (of course, uncompressed cd's are preferable). |
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Wed 17 May 2006, 16:42
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#3
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Newbie Group: Members Posts: 9 Joined: 25-Nov 03 From: London - UK Member No.: 29,649 |
The Wikipedia entry on audio files format is a useful start
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_file_format |
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Thu 18 May 2006, 04:44
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#4
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Newbie Group: Members Posts: 2 Joined: 15-May 06 From: Jersey City - US Member No.: 79,773 |
Thanks for the info. The wikipedia was a pretty good explanation. I'm starting to get it now... (well, I'm a little less stupid, anyway!
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