So why only MP3s? Why not WAV files?
Someone asked recently why we only send out MP3 files and not WAV files? And what is this dilemma that you speak of?
Today we're going to answer those questions...
First of all, what are the main differences?
WAV files are one of the oldest types of digital audio file. They are uncompressed which means you get the full sound quality that the music was originally recorded in.
MP3 files are a relatively new type of audio file and they are compressed to make it easier to store digitally, for example on your MP3 player (funny that eh?).
What about CD's then - they're WAV files right?
The music on a CD is encoded as an uncompressed PCM (pulse code modulation), which is supported by WAV. So when you save a file to your computer it will probably be saved as a WAV file (although you often get the option to save it as MP3).
(Thanks to Wikipedia for all the PCM technical jargon there!)
So WAV files are better then?
Yes and no. For pure audio quality, WAV files are superior to MP3s but because they are an old format, they don't handle metadata very well.
And what is meta data you may wonder? It's the data hidden within the music file that your media player reads to display the image and song titles.
Because WAV files don't handle metadata well, we couldn't add our artwork nor would it accept the special characters we needed, such as é from Mariana's Café or ñ from Señor Jack.
So this left us in a bit of a pickle - we had ourselves a WAV file dilemma!
Cue dramatic music of your choice.
A decision had to be made!
Because we're working primarily in the digital realm, we took the decision to stick with MP3s for the time being.
But who knows, perhaps in the future we will start selling CDs or vinyl. Or maybe some new and glorious format will be developed and it will solve all these issues!
But what do you think? Did we make the right decision? Or would you like us to offer CD's? Or Vinyl? Or are you happy with our digital MP3 offering at the moment?
Head on over to our Facebook page and let us know your thoughts!
