Library & files
FLAC
FLAC is a lossless compressed format: it shrinks a file without discarding any audio, so decoding returns the original samples exactly. It typically lands around 60% the size of the WAV it came from.
In practice
FLAC is the same audio as the WAV in about 60% of the space — the cost is player support, not sound.
Keep FLAC as the library format and let the export decide what goes on the stick. If a venue’s players are older or unknown, taking a second copy of the set as 320 kbps MP3 removes the whole question for a few gigabytes. The compression ratio depends on the material — dense, loud records compress least — so treat 60% as a rule of thumb rather than a promise.
~60%
Of the WAV size
Bit-identical
What decoding returns
Check the player
Before the gig
Where these come from: Typical compression behaviour and format properties, not catalog figures — the ratio varies with the material and nothing in our catalog records what a file was encoded as. For what we can measure, see what lossless actually guarantees.
Why it matters
FLAC is the format that makes the lossless argument affordable. Uncompressed audio is large enough that DJs abandon it for space reasons alone; FLAC removes most of that penalty and gives back a bit-identical file, so the only real cost is player support.
That support is the thing worth checking rather than assuming. Club players and DJ software have been reading FLAC for years now, but firmware varies, and the moment to discover a player will not load your library is not when you are plugging in.
Frequently asked
Is FLAC better than WAV?+
It is identical in sound and smaller on disk, so for storage it is strictly better. WAV wins only where a piece of software or hardware refuses to read FLAC.
Can club players read FLAC?+
Modern ones generally can, and have for years. Older units and unusual setups are the exception, which is why a lossy backup copy of the set costs little and removes the risk.
Does FLAC lose quality?+
No. It is lossless by definition — decode a FLAC and you get the original samples back exactly, bit for bit.
Related terms
Lossless
Lossless means the encoding discards nothing: decode the file and the original samples come back bit for bit. WAV, AIFF, FLAC and ALAC are lossless; MP3 and AAC are not.
WAV and AIFF
WAV and AIFF are uncompressed audio containers — the raw samples, no encoding. They sound identical to each other and differ mainly in how they store tags and which software wrote them.
Bit rate
Bit rate is how much data one second of audio uses, in kilobits per second. It decides the file size, and on a lossy format it decides how much of the original recording survives the encoding.
Lossy compression
Lossy compression shrinks a file by discarding audio a listener is unlikely to notice. What it removes is gone permanently, and encoding an already-lossy file removes more on top.
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