AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format) for use in CD players or auto CD players
A common digital audio file specification, AIFF allows a variety of applications running on different platforms to easily share audio files. Electronic Arts published the AIFF spec in 1985. Since then, it has been widely used on Mac, PC, and Atari computers, as well as in a variety of digitally based music instruments. Most digital audio editing software will import and export AIFF files, making the format well suited for situations where more than one program or platform must access audio data. Kurzweil's K2000 and K2500 will also recognize AIFF files, making them ideal for exporting samples to and from computer-based sample editing software. |
M4A (Audio Layer format) for use in WinAmp 5.02, Apple iTunes, iPod
The M4A file type is primarily associated with 'MPEG-4 Audio Layer'. Files in .M4A format are actually the audio layer of (non-video) MPEG 4 movies. M4A is slated to become the new standard for audio file compression. This format is also known as Apple Lossless, Apple Lossless Encoder, or ALE. It is a new codec designed to provide lossless encoding in less storage space. |