Editing Recording Vinyl (Mac OS) (section)

== Audio file formats ==

=== Lossless ===

<div class="alert alert-warning">This section is incomplete, especially information regarding all the settings that impact AAC quality.</div>

==== FLAC ====

=== Lossy ===

Lossless format. It's not necessary to export in this format for the purposes of playing back the music. As long as the original Audacity project is saved it will be possible to export the audio in different formats and quality.

==== AAC  ====

Preferred lossy file format. Developed after mp3. Native format for iTunes. Better compression than mp3. Widely supported.

<strike>Lowest bitrate for music should be 256Kps.</strike> < Actually sources state that 190 kps is indistinguishable from lossless audio, and that considering compression, audio quality, and file size that nothing above 160 kps makes much sense.

There are many extensions for this format as it can be contained within a wrapper. I have exported .aac files from Adobe Audition that could not be imported into iTunes (Apple Music now). I have successfully exported .m4a files from Audition which could then be imported into Apple Music and recognized by Synology Audio Station.

Listed as `M4A (AAC) Fiels (FFmpeg)` in Audacity. 

See the [[#Adobe Audition|Adobe Audition]] section regarding AAC properties specific to that app.

==== MP3 ====

AAC is more the standard now. Lowest bitrate for music is 192Kps.

==== OGG ====

Open source format that is not as widely adopted as AAC.