Have a seat and grab a coffee, here’s an article on lossless and lossy ☕

Audio files are created by silences and sounds. Lossless formats are able to compress the silences to almost zero space while keeping all of the sound data. 

Lossless audio is used when you want to use the original data in a file. Compression algorithms preserve audio data so the audio is exactly the same as the original source. Lossless compression is found in formats like FLAC, which is Free Lossless Audio Codec, and ALAC, which is Apple Lossless Audio Codec. It won’t remove any data like lossy compression does.

This differs from lossy audio formats such as AAC, MP3, and WMA, which compress audio using algorithms that get rid of data. Using lossless audio doesn’t remove any data like lossy compression does; it shrinks the whole file which maintains the sound quality.

Please note! If you want lossless audio through RouteNote, please use the audio format FLAC.

Bitrate is the amount of data (number of bits) that is handled over a period of time. When we’re talking about digital audio, the bitrate is usually measured in kilobits per second (kbps). The higher the bits, the more range in the information stored; this results in greater accuracy when it comes to hearing the smaller details that are usually lost at lower bit rates.

File formats like MP3 will compress files by losing elements of the audio, rather than shrinking it. It will remove some of the data, and therefore lowering the bitrate, which results in a smaller file.

If you have any further queries, feel free to get in touch with us!

See also:
Why won’t my audio file upload?
Can I edit or replace the audio on my release after it has been approved?
Does my audio meet RouteNote’s quality standards?