WAV vs. MP3 - The Difference

I get a lot of artists asking me to just upload mp3's of mixes when their record is complete. They say it's faster to download and easier to stream on their phone - all true statements. However they don't seem to recognize the difference between a WAV and an mp3, and what you lose when you compress a high-resolution audio file down into an 'easy to carry' mp3. Hopefully this video will explain!

[akihomax]

This is exactly like the scales have fallen from my eyes.
For the first time, I was able to clearly hear the difference between Wave and MP3. So helpful.

[jaredems]

This is one of the most powerful and knowledgeable videos I have ever ever ever watched

[alexwhite]

that was great. I've inverted waveforms, but never between mp3 and wav to isolate the difference. that was very interesting. thanks!

[SnaikHead]

MP3's not bad really, it really depends on the recording and mastering more these days i think. thank you for the video!!

[nibblrrr]

Entire point of this rambly video: 12:28 shows the difference between the original & the compressed MP3 (of unspecified quality...)
The whole point of lossy compression (like Opus, AAC, MP3, ...) is to leave out information which makes the least difference to the listener, b/c psychoacoustics. We may notice the quiet weird residual noises on their own, but that doesn't mean you can actually notice any difference in the whole signal. Obviously don't make your master from MP3s (though multiple re-encoding is not really a relevant problem with digital distribution). But I'd be very surprised if anyone can discriminate V0 (let alone 320kbps CBR) MP3s from the originals, reliably, in a double-blinded A/B test.

[josealphonso]

Why people like to give a very long introduction.

[archubiclub]

I've been a quality fan for a lot of time, I've ripped vinyls, made some album restorations, I've collected FLAC albums and tried to avoid MP3s as much as I could, but now I've changed my mind. I mean, music is bigger than this issues. I know it seems very drastic but I think people can really enjoy music in MP3 320Kbps or VBR. It's more than enough to not to lose any kind of quality and enjoy the real soul of music.
These times we live.. where we can find any music on Spotify (even with that poor quality) are better than 80's or 90's where you had to travel all around the city to find an LP. Music is something more important than quality. But that's just my opinion, dude.

[joeali]

Yes that's explained everything to me especially why those who are doing the recording and mixing in the studio are very particular regarding every little bits of sounds. Thanks Bro.

[ernestochang]

Listening to a WAV file and an mp3 file on a youtube video which has converted the original signal to an mp3 of an mp3 file being played with a reversed frequency WAV file... woooaaa duuuude this is trippy

[scotth]

When i decided to rip my CD's into .mp3 format, i took one song and tested every compression speed from 16kbps to 320kbps. In an A/B comparison with the .wav file, after 128kbps, i couldn't tell the difference, so that's what i used for my entire song collection. I know some people claim they can hear a difference, but i'm skeptical if anyone actually could in a blind test.

[ElectroBlender]

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation:

00:28 🎵 WAV files offer higher audio quality but have larger file sizes, while MP3 files are smaller and easier to stream.
01:07 🎧 When converting from WAV to MP3, data is trimmed to reduce file size, resulting in a loss of audio quality.
03:53 🔊 Waveforms in audio represent signals transmitted to speakers, and differences in these waveforms affect sound quality.
06:41 🔄 Inverting the phase of an audio file cancels out identical signals, highlighting differences between two versions.
12:10 🎶 MP3 compression removes subtle audio details, such as snare reverb and kick drum sizzle, impacting the overall mix quality.

[Van-ci]

Thanks sooo much... I could tell the difference from the first run of the mp3 so much was missing....

[Albee]

The true test would be to make a file of what is missing then place it over the original file and run it out of phase and see if you can actaully hear the difference. Blind test even by professionals fail. When everything is all mixed together this minuscule amount of sound missing is not noticeable.

[CalvoBelga]

I really enjoyed your presentation here and found it very educational. I shared it on my Facebook (not public) and subscribed to your channel.

[pceimpulsive]

Thanks man, this is really helpful. I haven't seen anyone show the differences so clearly. Tossing up upgrading my music collection, or atleast my favourites to AIFF/WAV.

I use a Focusrite 2i2 with KRK Rokits.

[hellopsp]

12:30 the difference is only noticeable when you compare like that. I would probably find it difficult to say at a quick glance that a song was degraded by listening to it as an MP3. But there is still a real difference albeit small.

[mistaosotnda]

Thanks for thy in-depth explanation on the difference between the two. 1000 Appreciations 🤘🏾🙏🏾

[kumaranb]

Wow, Awesome explanation. Thank you very much for the wonderful video.

[oliverquach]

He uses phase cancellation to show the difference between WAV and MP3 files. For those who already know what phase cancellation is, skip to 12:30.

[eyeamella]

Ah this was so helpful, just getting into production and I’m learning it all by myself with YouTube hehe this was so great thank you so much!!