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Digital Audio 101: Everything you need to know about audio file
formats  Audio file formats have given music wings. Encoding the
zeroes and ones of digital audio into files turns computers and
handheld devices into versatile music machines. But audio file
formats differ in critical ways, including sound quality,
compatibility, and storage efficiency. Because of this, it pays
to learn a little about the alphanumeric gumbo of MP3, PCM, AAC,
and so on. How Audio Files Work To make the most of limited
storage space, the codec may eliminate some data. This "paring
down" is what allows thousands of songs to be stored in a
portable music player. Some codecs use psychoacoustic principles
to determine which data can be discarded with the least impact
on sound quality.    • MP3   • MP3 VBR   • MP3 Pro   • AAC   •
WMA   • More   • FLAC   • OGG   • WMA Lossless   • More File
formats that don't reduce file size at all are known as
uncompressed. Here are some e