You may have already wondered what a FLAC file is. It is a lossless compressed audio format that ensures high quality sound.
What a Flac file is and what benefits it brings
“Flac” stands for “Free Lossless Audio Codec”, which translates as “Free lossless audio encoder/decoder”.
- If you find such a file, it is – like MP3 or WAV files – an audio file. The Flac codec was developed as part of the Xiph.Org Foundation.
- Flac files are only slightly compressed and therefore deliver lossless sound – quite the opposite to MP3 songs, for example. This means you get very high audio quality with Flac.
- The Flac codec is freely available and can be used without patents, which is why it can be used on all operating systems and devices.
- Flac can also be streamed easily.
The small burdens of music files in Flac format
The Flac codec also has disadvantages, but they are not that serious.
- FLAC files are quite large. Compared to lossy formats such as MP3, they require significantly more storage space.
- This can lead to memory bottlenecks more quickly. A four-minute song in Flac format has, for example, 20 to 30 MB. The same song would be about a third the size as an MP3.
- Longer download and transfer times are also another point. FLAC files are quite large, so they take longer to download and transfer, especially on slow internet connections.
- For the average listener, the sound quality of FLAC is often no better noticeable in everyday life than compressed formats such as MP3, which in turn reduces its usefulness.