Digital Music File Format

MP3
from MPEG, Audio layer 3, MP3 become most popular in music digital. Because it have small file size and it have as good as Audio CD. This format is developed by Fraunhofer Institute. With 128 kbps bitrate, MP3 file have good quality, but MP3 pro-format as MP3 generation offering same quality with half bitrate from MP3. MP3 pro compatible with MP3. MP3 player can play MP3 Pro but not as good as MP3 Pro player.

WAV
The results of CD ripping recorded from this format before formatted to another format, but this step now skipped because this format have big filesize.

AAC
Advanced Audio Coding this format is standart Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG) part, since MPEG-2 is use on 1997, they offer sample rate till 96 KHz- twice from MP3. This format used by Apple on their online music store iTunes. Music quality in this format is good enough even in low bitrate. iPod, portable digital music player from Apple, is the most popular that support this format.


WMA
This format is the most format that online music vendor, because they support with Digital Rights Management (DRM). DRM is a fiture that stop music hijack thing that affraid of music studio at this time. Music qulity that WMA offer is better than MP3. and also AAC. This format is enough popular and most of general hardware and software support in this file format.

Ogg Vorbis
This is the only one free file formatand open source. The other file format above generally have a copyrighted and software developer must pay for license for product that played in this file format. From quality side is high quality on low bitrate compare with another file format.


RealAudio
One of format that ussually found on low bitrate, this format from Realnetworks ussually used on audio streaming on up to 128 kbps, RealAudio used standart AAC MPEG-4

MIDI
This format is fit for sound that result from synthesizer or another electronics hardware, but it doesnt match from analog sound convertion because not too accurate. File in this format have small file size and lately used on phonecell ringtones.