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Audio Formats & Quality: The Only Guide You Need

2026-03-16 · mp3-ai.com Team

Confused by audio formats? Here's the definitive guide.

For Listening

Apple Music: AAC 256kbps. Spotify: OGG Vorbis 320kbps. YouTube Music: AAC 256kbps. Tidal: FLAC lossless. All sound excellent on consumer equipment.

For Production

Always work in WAV or AIFF (lossless). Only convert to compressed formats as the final export step. You can't add quality back to a compressed file.

For Sharing

Email: MP3 128-192kbps (small files). Podcast: MP3 128kbps mono. Music demo: MP3 320kbps. Professional delivery: WAV 44.1kHz/16-bit.

Convert between any of these with our audio converter. WAV to MP3 and MP3 to WAV are the most common conversions.

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