Most music today comes in a small range of preset file formats, M4A, MP3, wav, ogg, amongst a few others.
Each has its limitations, including where they can be played. These limitations can be cumbersome, and thus there are ways to convert these files to work on different devices with different sound qualities.
In this article, we’ll go over two of the most common file formats and how to convert M4A to MP3 files.
M4A to MP3 Conversion
Due to the diversity of file formats, file format is essential. This can be between images to documents and, of course, audio to audio.
First, ask yourself what file you’re converting. Is it an M4A to an MP3, or vice-versa? The difference matters.
M4A to MP3 Using iTunes
One simple method of converting an M4A to an MP3 is by launching iTunes. Open “Preferences” and click on “Navigate to Files.”
Once there, look for “Import Settings.” Change the import setting to the MP3 encoder, and click “Okay.”
Once done, drag and drop your M4A files into iTunes. Click on it, select “File,” then “Convert,” and you should see the prompt “Create MP3 Version.”
Once you’ve done that, you should be good to go. Both files will likely show up now, under different formats, in your iTunes library.
M4A to MP3 Using Online Applications
There are several online sites that can work for converting your files, often for free and without having to install any software.
Note: there are many sites out there that aren’t as savvy with user data, so do your due diligence before plugging in a bunch of your M4A files.
Often these sites will have a “Select File” prompt which you can either click on or drag and drop to have the files digitally convert automatically.
Some allow you to tweak bitrate settings between 220kbps and 250kbps. Whichever you choose, it likely is just a button press away (and a few seconds or minutes) for the file to fully convert.
Then, download the processed file.
MP3 to M4A Using iTunes
This will largely be the same as going through the M4A to MP3 conversion process.
- Launch iTunes
- Go to Preferences
- Go to “General” then “Import Settings”
- Click on the “Import Using” and select AAC encoder
- Import your M4A file (or right-click on it if it’s already in your library)
- Select “Create AAC Version”
And boom. You should be good to go, with iTunes doing the work. After a few seconds, you should have two copies of the file, one as an MP3 and the new M4A file.
MP3 to M4A Using the Web
Take precautions as stated above. Some online web converters are prone to giving viruses, making you pay for what should be a free service, or stuffing you with a ton of obnoxious ads and pop-ups.
That being said, a reputable online converter will require you to upload your file, tweak a few settings, and wait for the conversion process to be completed.
You’ll then need to download the M4A file from the site, after which you will be good to go.
What’s the Difference?
If you’ve ever downloaded digital music, you’ve likely heard of these types of files. M4A files are the standard for digital downloads from iTunes or Apple Music.
That’s because they’re convenient to use… If you’re an Apple aficionado. Meanwhile, MP3s are more wildly used across different types of devices. We commonly call devices MP3 players, not M4A players, after all.
So what’s the difference?
M4A File Format
Interestingly enough, the M4A file format was initially designed to be the successor to the MP3 file format. M4A stands for MPEG 4 audio, the four obviously indicating its successor-status.
What makes the M4A file format superior comes in notable tweaks in its design. The MP3 format was initially designed with the purpose of shrinking video file sizes and then got changed to audio later on.
The M4A file format was designed from the ground up to limit extreme compression by reducing sounds that normally would be inaudible to humans. It does this while retaining slightly better sound quality in the process.
To dig deep into the jargon, the compression formats differ in two crucial ways:
M4As use a sample block size of 120 or 128 rather than the MP3s 192 for changing signals. This allows for more detail in certain sound segments. Allowing for more precise details where they are needed.
The MP3 file format uses a low 576 sample blocks compared to the M4A’s much larger block size of 960 or 1024.
This larger block size allows for more data to express the music more appropriately to its original intent without mitigating complexity.
MP3 File Format
MP3 stands for “MPEG Layer-3”. It’s a file format specifically meant for audio files, particularly music.
MP3s are a wider-spread file format across all media, and for good reason. As described by Techopedia, “It can be used for dual channels, single-channel, stereo, multichannel signals, and joint stereo.”
In laymen’s terms, that means it’s flexible and can turn complex audio into something small and simple.
Unlike many of its counterparts, MP3s compress audio to about one-tenth the size of its original file by reducing nearly inaudible portions of songs.
Some purists claim this reduces some of the sheen of a song.
But the truth is the quality remains quite high, even after compression. Because these files are so much smaller than some of their unoptimized counterparts, you can fit more songs into your device. And that’s a win.
To compare and contrast perks of different audio formats, here’s a list of some of the most common types.
Digital File Conversion
Converting M4A to MP3 files isn’t so complex. Hopefully, you’ve gleaned some helpful information from this article and can now convert your files with ease.
While the conversion process may make sense on paper, note that continual conversion of files will cause them to gradually degrade, sort of like Xeroxing a Xerox. Make sure to convert a limited amount of times!
And if you need to convert other files, from digital PDFs to Excel spreadsheets, we’ve got you covered.