If you use iTunes or if you buy and download digital music, you’ll have come across a number of terms and abbreviations that describe digital audio files. This alphabet soup can be quite confusing.

Yes, the lossless audio file you're using is probably compressed — that's completely fine for this reason.

Digital sound is nothing more than numbers. What separates one container from another is how those numbers are packed, how much data (if any) is thrown away, and which devices understand the result.

Choosing the right audio format matters to every producer and mastering engineer. When you know precisely when to use WAV, MP3, or FLAC, your workflow becomes more efficient and your masters retain ...