There are tons of different audio formats, each with its own properties. Some of the most popular ones are WAV, MIDI, MP3, Real Audio, ASF, WMA, audio tapes, and CDA formats. We’ll talk about converting these formats using tools that are available on the Internet either as freeware or shareware. Many of them are not distributable, that’s why we’ve given the URLs from where you can download them. Their sizes vary between a few kB to 6-7 MB.

Before converting, keep in mind that there will always be some data loss when you convert one format to another. In this article, we’ll take uncompressed WAV as a ‘base’ format (because it’s easy to edit) and then encode/convert all others with reference to it. Technically, almost all formats can be transformed using a combination of the three processes of encoding, compressing, and recording.

WAV to MP3

You can use this conversion to store recorded live music performances or speeches as small files in your collection. For this, you can use the popular Winamp Player (any version). Simply download the MP3 output plugin for Winamp, install it and go. Set the Winamp output plugin to MP3 and create a WAV file playlist to be encoded. Hit the play button and there you are. Be sure to install an MP3 codec (Fraunhofer IIS, Radium or any other) before you attempt this. Other options are software like Streambox Ripper, MusicMatch Jukebox or BladeEnc, which let you do the same. Note here that the parameters you use for encoding will determine the final quality of the MP3, the best being CD-quality, that is, 44.1 kHz at 128 kbps stereo. Higher bit rates are also possible, but they increase the file size and should be used only by professionals. Typically, the same file encoded at 256 kbps is twice the size of one at 128kbps.

MP3 to WAV

This is the process of decompressing an MP3 to a WAV file. For instance, if you want to edit your MP3 file, like mixing your own drum beats in it, you’ll need to first convert it to a WAV file. Winamp again comes to the rescue here. Set the output plugin as Disk Writer plugin and create the MP3 playlist that needs to be converted. Hit play and there you have it. Note that if the MP3 file used was itself converted from a WAV file, then don’t expect it to reproduce the original WAV upon reconversion. That’s because data lost during any conversion can’t be retrieved. For editing WAV files, software like GoldWave is available that lets you add effects, increase volume, invert channels, mix two WAV files, etc.