Music production requires many decision making situations to be cleared. One of the most obvious one is picking music formats for correct productions. We will discuss now the most popular releasing music formats for DJ’s and music producers – from the most popular and conventional ones to more experimental and unusual. We’ve been getting a lot of e-mails about this matter, therefore we will address it, since we also offer music production tools, in difference music formats for all kind of purposes.
WAV or AIFF
The most common formats used right now is WAV since it is easy to work with it and it’s known as a so-called ‘CD’ format, because it’s the most distributed now and in the past as well. If you are preparing the track and you are not sure ‘where the whole production is going’ and if you are preparing it for a soon release – WAV will be ideal for the mastering phase, therefore it is a win-win situation. In most cases you cannot go wrong with 16bit WAV format for your music production – no matter if you are experienced or only a beginner. The same goes for Apple – it’s basically the same deal, but it is oriented around other operating system. Then, WAV is dedicated for Microsoft and AIFF for Apple Music Formats.
Vinyl
They are finally getting recognition in music production again. They represent the highest quality, but also need a lot of attention to detail. The analogue sound was popular and made huge impact on the music industry, but it becomes more and more obsolete. Still though, the high quality sound has its value for modern producer and that’s why it’s still being used, and also because of the actual fidelity which impacts the overall production. It is required though, to have big experience when your are getting all worked up with vinyl, because it can be a mess and struggle in comparison to WAV.
Mp3’s and Lossless Music Formats
Mp3 can be an option but you should stay away from less then 256kbps in general. Above number will sustain it’s decent sound qualities and it should be enough to present track in a decent manner. For me only on a beginning stage, demo phase – whatever you might call it, I’d recommend a lossless format instead of the lame one. Lossless is a great way to balance things up between heavy sized and high quality formats like WAV and compact size and lessen quality sound mp3 or ogg vorbis.
