Lossless audio formats store the data that is captured during a sound recording in such a way that no degradation occurs after the final studio mastering of the material. That means the sound recordings we provide contain all the detail, all the expression and all the ambience that are ignored by lossy formats such as MP3. Listen and you’ll see.
We currently offer the following lossless file formats:
FLAC files
Studio master sound quality (24-bit 48KHz)
These are the highest quality files we offer and are identical to the studio master. They work like zip files so the size is compressed but none of the sound quality. Unfortunately iTunes and Windows Media Player don’t accept these files yet but many others do.
The most popular program which supports FLAC is Winamp. Winamp can be downloaded free from www.winamp.com in a fairly small file. You can also download a codec which will allow Windows Media Player to play FLAC files from www.xiph.org/dshow
If you are a Mac user you can convert them using MAX sbooth.org/Max
CD quality (16-bit 44.1KHz)
These files offer the same level of sound quality as a shop-bought CD. They aren’t as large as the 24-bit versions, but are compatible with more software.
ALAC files
CD quality (16-bit 44.1KHz)
Developed by Apple, these offer the same CD-quality sound as 16-bit FLAC, but are naturally compatible with iPods and iTunes.