Should I Bring MP3, M4A or WAV Files Into My DAW?

Since uncompressed files (WAV or AIFF) are the highest quality/resolution audio files, I always recommend recording in WAV format and using WAV format files all the way through production up until you create the final MP3 file for publishing.

But some folks record in compressed formats like MP3 or M4A, etc. (which I don’t recommend)

Regarding the use of MP3 or M4A files in post-production, this exchange I had with a listener explains things:

• Question: If you receive audio files for your podcast editing session that were recorded in MP3 or M4A compressed format, is it worth converting them to WAV (uncompressed) format before importing them into your DAW? For example, Piezo (a Skype call recorder) records in M4A AAC 256kbps Stereo — should I bring this M4A file directly into my DAW session or should I first convert it to WAV format and bring the WAV file into my DAW?
• Answer: You can just bring M4A or MP3 recordings directly into your DAW session. But if you need to clean up the audio first, I suggest doing what I do: First I bring the M4A/MP3 files into iZotope RX, etc. and process them as needed to clean them up, and then I export them from RX as a WAV file (24 bit), and then I import those WAV files into my DAW.

What are your thoughts on using these various file types in your productions? Comment below.

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