Convert MP3 to M4A - online and free - this page also contains information on the MP3 and M4A file extensions.
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How to convert a MP3 to a M4A file?
- Choose the MP3 file that you want to convert.
- Select M4A as the the format you want to convert your MP3 file to.
- Click "Convert" to convert your MP3 file.
Zamzar Pro Tip: A great free media player for MP3 files is VideoLANs VLC player.
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Zamzar has converted over 510 million files since 2006
Zamzar has converted over 510 million files since 2006
File extension | .mp3 |
Category | Audio File |
Description | MP3 is a digital music format which allows CD tracks to be reduced to around a tenth of their normal size without a significant loss of quality. MP3 gets rid of a lot of the information recorded in a song that our ears are not able to hear and then uses complex algorithms to reduce the file size. This then enables you to get hundreds of songs on to a CD and it also has opened up a new market over the internet - the download market as download times have been significantly reduced. |
Actions | MP3 to M4A - Convert file now View other audio file formats |
Technical Details | The MP3 format is a lossy format. That means that an MP3 file does not contain 100% of the original audio information. Instead, MP3 files use perceptual coding. In other words, that means it removes the information that your ear doesn't notice thereby making the file smaller. The reason lossy formats are used over RAW is that RAW audio files are too large to travel over the internet at any great speed. By using lossy formats it enables even dial up users to download mp3 files at a reasonable speed. RAW file formats generally require 176,000 bytes per second compared to a lossy format which requires 17,600. The difference is massive and so are the download times. |
Associated programs | RealOne WinAmp Windows Media Player iTunes |
Developed by | Moving Picture Experts Group |
MIME type | audio/mpeg |
Useful links | Further information on MP3 files How MP3 files work Convert MP3 file |
File extension | .m4a |
Category | Audio File |
Description | M4A files are a type of audio file developed and popularised by Apple. Since 2007, music purchased through the iTunes store has been in m4a format, therefore accounting for over 15 billions files worldwide. MP4 and M4A files are often confused, and the two are quite similar, being both based on the MPEG-4 codec. However, M4A is a file comprising solely of audio, whereas MP4 may also contain video. |
Actions | Convert M4A file View other audio file formats |
Technical Details | M4A files are superior to MP3 in terms of the scale of compression and audio quality. The M4A file uses Apple's codec and resides within the MPEG-4 container. The main benefit of M4A is that files are compressed but are lossless. This means they can be decoded back to the original quality they were at the point of compression. Another benefit of M4A files are that do not carry any Digital Rights Management (DRM) protection associated with other files meaning they are less restricted. |
Associated programs | Apple QuickTime Player Apple iTunes Microsoft Windows Media Player |
Developed by | Apple |
MIME type | audio/mp4a-latm |
Useful links | Detailed guide to M4A More detail on the MPEG4 format Convert M4A file |
Convert MP3 file
Using Zamzar it is possible to convert MP3 files to a variety of other formats
- mp3 to aac (Advanced Audio Coding File)
- mp3 to ac3 (AC3 Audio File)
- mp3 to flac (Free Lossless Audio Codec)
- mp3 to m4a (Compressed video file)
- mp3 to m4r (iPhone Ringtone File)
- mp3 to mp4 (MPEG-4 Video File)
- mp3 to ogg (Ogg Vorbis Compressed Audio File)
- mp3 to wav (Windows audio file)
- mp3 to wma (Windows Media Audio)