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MIDI, formats and standards · updated 2026-08-16

WAV VS FLAC VS MP3/AAC

WAV is uncompressed PCM; FLAC is lossless compression; MP3 and AAC are lossy. Deliver lossless masters and let platforms encode.

Back panel of studio hardware showing MIDI, USB and audio connections

SOURCES AND CITATIONS

Free, primary references for wav vs flac vs mp3/aac — standards bodies, manufacturers, government offices and university course material.

RELATED TERMS IN MIDI, FORMATS AND STANDARDS

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