By Tug·July 16, 2026·5 min read

WAV vs AIFF vs M4A: Which Audio Format Should You Use?

Record and mix in WAV or AIFF, and share in M4A. That one line covers what most people need. WAV and AIFF keep the full, uncompressed quality while you work, and M4A shrinks a finished track down to a fraction of the size for sending and listening. Here is the plain version of the differences and when each one is the right choice.

Uncompressed to work, compressed to share

While you record and mix, use WAV or AIFF. They are uncompressed, so they hold the full quality of your audio with nothing thrown away. When a track is finished and you want to share or store it, use M4A, which is much smaller and still sounds great to almost everyone.

That is the whole decision most of the time: uncompressed to work, compressed to share.

WAV and AIFF: the uncompressed pair

WAV and AIFF are both uncompressed formats holding the raw audio exactly as recorded, and for practical purposes they are equal in quality. WAV came from the Windows world and is the near-universal standard, while AIFF is Apple's equivalent. Either is a fine choice for recording, editing, sending to a mixing engineer, or archiving a master.

The trade-off is size. Uncompressed files are large, which is the price of keeping everything. That is exactly what you want for your working files and your masters.

M4A: small and shareable

M4A uses AAC compression to throw away audio data you are unlikely to hear, which makes the files a small fraction of a WAV's size while still sounding excellent. At a common 256kbps, most people cannot reliably tell it from the uncompressed original in a blind test. It is the right format for sharing, messaging, uploading and everyday listening.

The one thing to know is that it is lossy, meaning the discarded data is gone. So it is not the format to keep as your working file or master if you might process the audio further. Mix from the uncompressed version, then export an M4A to share.

Which format for what

Recording and mixing: WAV or AIFF. Archiving a master you might come back to: WAV or AIFF. Sharing, sending in a message, uploading or just listening: M4A.

On compatibility, WAV plays essentially everywhere, M4A plays on anything modern, and AIFF is well supported too. If you want one uncompressed format to send to anyone, WAV is the safe default.

Where Reel fits

Reel exports WAV and AIFF for full-quality work and archiving, and M4A for sharing, so you keep everything while you record and mix, then send something small when the track is done. You never have to trade quality for convenience until the moment you actually want to.

See how Reel works

See the Reel workflow.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is WAV or AIFF better?

Neither is better for quality, they are both uncompressed and effectively equal. WAV is the more universal standard and the safer choice for sending to anyone, while AIFF is Apple's equivalent. Use whichever your tools prefer.

Does M4A lose quality?

Yes, M4A is lossy, so it discards some audio data to shrink the file. It still sounds great to almost everyone, which makes it ideal for sharing and listening, but you should keep an uncompressed WAV or AIFF as your working file and master.

What audio format should I record in?

WAV or AIFF. They are uncompressed, so you keep the full quality of the recording while you edit and mix. Export an M4A only at the end, when you want a small file to share.

What is the best format for sending a track to someone?

M4A for a listener, since it is small and sounds great. WAV if they need to work on the audio, like a mixing or mastering engineer, since it keeps the full uncompressed quality.