Make an audio file smaller

Why is my audio file so big?

File size is the bitrate multiplied by the length. A WAV stores every sample uncompressed: 16-bit stereo at 44.1 kHz is about 1,411 kbps, roughly 10 MB for each minute. An MP3 at 128 kbps is about 1 MB a minute, which is why a WAV saved as MP3 comes out at about a tenth of its size. A long recording is simply a lot of minutes.

How do I reduce the size of an audio file?

1. Drop in the file you want to shrink.
2. Read the size shown. This page already uses the Smaller setting, 128 kbps for MP3.
3. Press Compress. You get the real size and the percentage saved, then Download.

An MP3 stays an MP3, and an M4A stays M4A where your browser can write it. Anything else, such as a WAV, FLAC or a video soundtrack, becomes an MP3. You can pick another format from the list. Removing silence or unwanted parts with the cut tool before compressing shrinks a file further, because there is less audio to store.

What does a smaller file cost in quality?

A lower bitrate keeps less detail. Speech usually stays clear, and music loses some fine texture. If you must keep the exact sound, FLAC makes a WAV smaller without losing anything, though not as small as an MP3.

When should I not compress a file again?

An MP3 or M4A is already compressed, and compressing it again loses a little more each time, so keep your original. Sometimes the result is not smaller at all, and then the page says so instead of giving you a bigger file dressed up as a saving. A quiet recording that needs a lift is a job for normalizing the level, and a different format without caring about size is a job for the audio converter.