WMA formatting versus MP3; when is one better than the other and is there even that much of a difference? I have pondered this a couple of times as I was downloading things and uploading other things and making little studio remixes of my own music. So I decided maybe it was a good idea to put one next to the other and see what I could come up and pass that info on to someone else.
Windows Media Audio (hereafter known as WMAs) is the Microsoft proprietary software for recording and handling audio files. All the dings and whistles that come with Windows to alert you to things are WMAs. These audio files are pretty large, but boast a higher bitrate- or the amount of bits per given time that the program will run. Microsoft claims that these files are more accurate than MP3s and better quality. We’ll talk about that in a bit.
MP3, MPEG3 or Moving Pictures Experts Group-Layer 3 all describe the audio format we all use in our MP3 players. The biggest advantage that MP3 has over WMA at this point has got to be in the file size. MP3 formatting of a recorded piece involves the elimination of the bits that the human ear cannot hear anyway. This can greatly reduce the file size, though Microsoft claims this degrades the quality.
At the same bitrate WMAs will sound better than MP3s, but some of this depends on source as well. For example, if you have something you ripped form a CD you own and- for personal use, have uploaded it onto your music player (legal disclaimer). If it was a bad rip, it’s going to be more noticeable in MP3 format than in WMA. But overall you’d have a pretty special ear to tell the difference.
MP3s store better because they are smaller. This is not to say they are THAT much smaller, but they are. On a very limited hard drive such as an audio player, this can be the difference between 400 songs or getting a full 600. So MP3s win in that department and it shows as they are the preferred music format for most people. For recording and computer things, WMAs have been the standard as they retain digital source better and hard drive space on a computer is generally not an issue.
Most “MP3 players” will play WMAs as well, that’s not a huge issue there. The biggest issue is whether or not you want to deal with slightly less space by having WMAs over MP3s. Considering, like we said, the quality difference on a player is so small, it really doesn’t matter. The main thing is being able to keep track of one format. Picking one and sticking with it is best.
Converting from WMA to MP3 format is not a bad thing and can be done on nearly any home computer. The problem is getting a good conversion rate and speed. This process can take awhile. Converting from MP3 to WMA takes a little less time, but unless you have a WMA specific project, it’s kind of a silly thing to do. The more you convert any file, the more quality you lose. Like making a copy of a copy of a copy and so on.
Taking a look at WMAs versus MP3 formats, I’d say go with the MP3 if you’re just an everyday person. There’s no point in using the added room that WMAs have built into them unless you’re a musician or otherwise wish to alter the original format. So it looks like MP3 are going to be the standard for music players for a long time.
Zeeman Haus enjoys writing articles online on a variety of subjects. You can check out his latest website on Touch Screen Mp3 Players which provides top deals on touch screen MP3 players From Creative Labs, Coby, Visual Land and more.