Convert audio to MP3
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Worked example
MP3 is no longer the best-compressing format, and it is still the one that plays on absolutely everything.
| Extension | .mp3 |
|---|---|
| MIME type | audio/mpeg |
| Playback | Plays everywhere |
| From MP4 without re-encoding | No |
| Audio codec | libmp3lame |
The equivalent command
ffmpeg -i holiday-clip.mp4 -vn -c:a libmp3lame -b:a 192k -threads 1 -y out-holiday-clip.mp3This is exactly what runs in the browser. Copy it to run the same job locally on a file too large for a tab.
Why it matters
At the same bitrate, AAC and Opus both sound better than MP3 — the format is nearly thirty years old. What keeps it relevant is that every car stereo, DJ controller, voice recorder and ten-year-old phone reads it. For speech at 128 kbps or music at 192, the difference from AAC is hard to hear, and the compatibility is worth more than the few percent of quality.