When you'd do this
You've recorded or exported a WAV — a voice-over, a podcast take, a mix from your editor — and it's too big to email, upload or keep on your phone. An MP3 is a fraction of the size and plays on anything.
What to expect
A 4-minute stereo WAV at CD quality is about 40 MB. As an MP3 at the default 192 kbps it comes out at about 5.5 MB — roughly a seventh of the size. At 320 kbps it's about 9.2 MB; at 128 kbps, about 3.7 MB.
Recommended settings
Keep the default 192 kbps for music and mixed content: most people can't tell it from the WAV. Drop to 128 kbps for speech-only recordings, or go to 320 kbps for a master you'll listen to closely — it's the most MP3 can hold.
Where it plays
Everywhere: every phone, computer, browser, car stereo and media player, and every podcast host and upload form that takes audio.
Good to know
- MP3 is lossy: the WAV keeps detail the MP3 leaves out, so keep the WAV if you'll edit it again.
- A WAV can be up to 2 GB and 4 hours, and an MP3 from a WAV up to 4 hours — the encoder reads straight from the file.
- Sound above 48 kHz (a 96 kHz studio WAV, say) is resampled to 48 kHz, the most MP3 can store.
- Compressed WAVs (ADPCM and the like) can't be read; ordinary PCM, floating-point, A-law and µ-law WAVs can.
How to do it
- Choose your WAV files, or drop them on the page — as many as you like.
- Each is set to MP3. Change one on its own row if you like, and the MP3 bitrate and the channels in Settings.
- Convert all, then download each MP3, or all of them in one .zip.
Questions
- What bitrate should I use to convert WAV to MP3?
- 192 kbps suits most music and is the default; 128 kbps is plenty for speech; 320 kbps is the highest quality MP3 offers.
- Can I convert several WAV files to MP3 at once?
- Yes. Add as many as you like, press Convert all, then download each MP3 or all of them in one .zip.
- Are my WAV files uploaded?
- No. They're read and converted in your browser, on your device, and never leave it.
- Will the MP3 have a gap at the start or end?
- No. The MP3s made here carry the gapless information players use to skip the encoder's padding.