| Extension | MP3 |
| Full Name | MPEG-2 Audio Layer III |
| Type | Audio |
| Mime Type | audio/mpeg |
| Format | Binary |
MP3 files are a well-known file format for the storage and playback of music and digital audio. The MP3 format has been around for a long time and has become a standard format for music. Despite newer formats arriving, such as AAC, MP3 still remains the primary choice for digital music playback.
It's highly efficient compression methods allow what would otherwise be very large audio data to be compressed down to a fraction of its size with little noticeable difference in quality. The quality, or bit rate, can be specified from 96KB/s (low quality) to 320KB/s (high quality). Naturally, the higher the bit rate, the larger the final MP3 file.
MP3 files are synonymous with digital music and are therefore supported by all major audio and music editing and playback software. Major operating systems and platforms often have built-in support for the playback of MP3 files.
| Extension | WAV |
| Full Name | Waveform Audio File |
| Type | Audio |
| Mime Type | audio/x-wav |
| Format | Binary |
A WAV file is a popular audio format first developed by Microsoft and found widespread adoption as one of the main audio formats used on the Windows operating system. A WAV file stores audio in an uncompressed format with a number of frequencies and channels.
For users who require the highest quality audio storage, WAV files are the perfect choice. They do not compress the audio data like other formats such as MP3, however, this lack of compression can lead to very large file sizes and is most suited to users when quality is a high priority, such as music professionals.
WAV files can be opened with most audio editing software, and playback is possible on most major platforms without any additional software. We have various WAV conversion tools that can convert between the WAV format and other formats, such as MP3.
