Audio Format Converters

The staggering number of audio formats and compression algorithms does not allow for a comprehensive listing of video format converters, which exist in abundance. Instead, check commercial software libraries (e.g., ZDNet, cnet or  heise) for alternatives to our selection of software.

The most common formats you want to convert to are:

• wav, a fairly universal audio format (used, for instance in regular audio CDs), which is uncompressed. Easy to work on and accepted by several CAQDAS and other coding programs, but uses lots of hard disk memory.
• mp3, currently the most universal compressed audio format. Compatible with a number of programs.
• ogg is not as common as mp3 for compressed audio, but as it is an open source compression algorithm, which might lead to a higher degree of compability in the future.

A seperate issue is streaming. Many of todays radio stations broadcast over the internet via streaming. The most common streams are currently Real Media™ (ram and rm) and Windows Media Audio™ (wma). To archive these materials, you will need to either convert the stream directly into a file or you record it via your soundcard. The former yields better quality, while the latter is less tedious to set up and loss prone to errors.