5 ways to compress large audio files easily and effectively

If you want audio files to take up less space on your device, here are some easy and effective ways to reduce the size of large audio files, making them easier to manage.

Should choose Lossless or Lossy format?

The first step to reducing the size of audio files is to identify whether your audio file is Lossless or Lossy.

The Lossless format contains all the original data, so the size of these files is much larger. The Lossy format uses a lower bit rate - this reduces the overall sound quality but has a much smaller capacity.

In short, if your device has large storage space, or you have high quality speakers or headphones, then the Lossless format would be a more reasonable choice.

How to reduce the size of the audio file

1. Compress MP3 files with iTunes

Once you've decided on which file to compress, you can easily convert it using iTunes .

• Click Preferences in iTunes drop-down menu and navigate down to Import Settings. A new window will pop up, in which you can change the file format by choosing another option in the Import Using drop-down menu.
• For most people, the MP3 format is the most suitable. If you want, you can also choose to lower the sound quality a bit to save additional space (by clicking Settings> Custom).
• Next, right-click on the file you want to compress and select Create MP3 Version. iTunes will then compress the audio file based on the selected settings and export the new file to your iTunes playlist.

2. Compress audio file with Monkey's Audio

Most people can't see the big difference between the 320kbps Lossy and 1411kbps Lossless MP3 files, so if you just need to listen to normal music, then the Lossy format will be more suitable. On the other hand, those who like to listen to high quality music and sound experts may not like the sound quality is poor.

If you really need music files in Lossless format, an audio compression like Monkey's Audio on Windows will work perfectly.

Monkey's Audio will compress Lossless files without compromising sound quality, and the tool provides open source so that developers can use it in their own programs.

Download: Monkey's Audio (Free)

3. Reduce the size of audio files with Audacity

Using iTunes is an easy way to convert audio files, but not everyone uses an Apple phone or iTunes. So there is another suitable replacement tool, Audacity. This software is available for most operating systems.

Audacity has many features for recording, editing audio and also supporting file compression. The interface of this tool can be a bit complicated, especially for those who have never used audio editing software before, but how to use Audacity is quite simple:

• Open your file in Audacity.
• Go to File> Export and choose the format you want to save the file to.
• In Format Options, select Bit rate mode (Variable or Constant), then Quality.
• Click Save to save the newly compressed file.

Download: Audacity (Free)

4. Use the Web Compressor device

If you do not want to download and install the software, you can try using online services. Most of these tools provide many of the same features as offline software.

Another great option is 123apps Online Audio Converter . You can convert audio files from computers or online storage services like Google Drive and Dropbox .

Online Audio Converter has an easy to use interface, allowing you to choose the file format you want. The web is available in typical formats like MP3, WAV, M4A and FLAC, even the iPhone ringtone format. A slider allows you to adjust the bit rate between 64, 128, 192 and 320 kbps, while the Advanced Setting tab helps adjust many other aspects. When you have made your selection, click the Convert button.

5. How to reduce the size of audio files in Android

If you need to compress an audio file on a mobile device, then Audio Video Manager is a pretty good file compression application. You can select audio files and choose to convert into a variety of formats, including MP3, AAC or even FLAC Lossless.

With this application, you can convert or compress multiple files at the same time. Just turn the Compress option on or off, then choose Bitrate to be Variable or Constant. Then choose the sound quality from 32kbps to 320kbps. Finally, click the Convert button to start converting and compressing the file.

Download: Audio Video Manager (Free)