How do I compress my audio recording?

This certainly tops the most “searched for questions” list. Almost everybody who’s ever recorded audio looks for a way to compress it. But compressing audio does come with the nagging headache of quality loss. Lossless audio compression is a pipe dream as there will be at least a minuscule difference between the original audio and the compressed one.

Trim it a bit!

Instead of compressing the whole file and risking losing its quality, do a bit of minor editing. Edit out those bits that have no audio and those boring pauses. Several softwares like Adobe Audition and Audacity offer simple and user friendly audio editing features. Sometimes to minimize an audio file can be as simple as editing out the unwanted bits.

Switch formats!

And this is the easiest way to reduce the size of audio files. There are lossy formats that compress audio but reduce quality or lossless formats that are a far better choice. Converting MP3 files into MP4 ones can reduce the file size by as much as 30%. MP3PRO is another digital audio format that can significantly reduce file sizes.

Change audio settings…

Reducing the bitrate of audio files is another way to minimize the size of audio files. Cutting down on bitrate recklessly can lead to loss of audio. Minimal reduction of the audio’s bitrate can reduce the file size without impacting its clarity. The sample rate of the file can also be reduced. Low sample rates reduce file sizes and 22.05 kHz is the most commonly used sample rate for MP3 files.

Converting stereo to mono can also reduce the size of files. Removing metadata from files can also save that extra bit of space.

Handy tools!

There are several audio compression tools that can make your job a breeze. Monkey’s audio is a famous tool for reducing the size of music files. Advanced Audio Compressor is another popular audio compression tool. AAC also has audio cutting capabilities. MPR Resizer also offers great audio optimization.

Now, here are the easy solutions for those who want to reduce their file sizes to email them or send them across as leap files. Choose a method that best suits you and tell us about it in the comments section!