Convert AIFF to M4A

AIFF is intended for viewing and processing of audio data, as well as for its storage in digital devices. Apple designers developed it on the base of IFF in late 1980s. Thanks to lossless coding, it is very similar to WAV. In Windows OS, it is mostly used with .aiff extension.

AIFF files have gained significant attention from Mac PC users. They are popular as well among professional musicians who are most particular about sound quality. The fact that the format is widely supported by various multimedia software, and universal players, may also be considered a notable benefit. To open AIFF files in Windows OS, installing Apple iTunes, Windows Media Player, Roxio Creator, and some other programs are required.

When being coded, the stream is divided into sound segments. A minute of standard stereo sound corresponds with 10 Mb of memory approximately. Standard non-compressed files use .aif or .aiff. In such files, audio data are represented in the form of pulse code modulation. If some data are lost through codecs, .aifc is used.

A standard 16 bit AIFF file has two channels for stereo sound and a 44 100 Hz sampling frequency. Being non-compressed, it differs in size significantly from MP3 and other similar formats. Sometimes it may contain samples and cycle information.

Apple Inc. has designed an M4A open-source format based on QuickTime Fike. Now the format is being promoted in the iTunes store. It is a multimedia container intended for the placement of sound components and other data, such as images. MPEG-4 files may be stored with extensions M4A and MP4. In the latter case, they contain video as well.

Alongside these sound formats, MPEG-4 allows for lossy compaction through FFC Codec. However, it is possible to provide a lossless reduction thanks to the Apple Lossless format. The files may be played on Windows PCs via iTunes, Windows Media Player 12, KSP Sound Player, Winamp, and some other programs. With iTunes, the data can be converted into Windows-supported audio formats.

In comparison with its predecessor MP3, M4A format provides better sound quality and smaller file size. Thanks to lossless compaction, the data may be easily converted in both directions with no quality deterioration. The sound data encoded with ACC compression, which reduces the file size considerably.

Due to protection technology DRM, MP4 files cannot be easily distributed, while it is much simpler to replicate files in M4A; that is why “Apple Lovers” prefer the latter format. With M4A, it is possible to buy music on iTunes and download it into smartphones or other devices.