A meeting recording saved as WAV is too big to e-mail, an M4A won’t work as a ringtone on some phones, or you only want the chorus of a song. Here is how the audio formats differ, what to convert to, and how to cut a clip.
In short
- File too big, or a device won’t play it: convert to MP3 with the audio converter.
- Only need part of it: use the audio cutter and pick a start and end.
- Making a ringtone: cut it short and save as MP3, which Pixel and Samsung help pages list as supported.
Both tools run in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
How the formats differ
MDN (Mozilla’s web developer docs) splits audio compression into two kinds:
- Lossless, such as FLAC: decoding gives back the original sound bit for bit, but it rarely shrinks the file by more than about 40–50%.
- Lossy, such as MP3, AAC, Opus and Vorbis: it drops detail the ear doesn’t pick up well and can cut audio to about 5–20% of its uncompressed size. The more it compresses, the more quality it loses.
| Format | What it is |
|---|---|
| WAV | Developed by Microsoft and IBM; nearly all WAV files hold uncompressed linear PCM, so they’re large |
| MP3 | Lossy; MDN calls it by far the most widely used and best-known |
| M4A | An audio-only MP4 file, usually AAC inside, which was designed to compress more than MP3 at higher fidelity |
| FLAC | Lossless; smaller than WAV but much bigger than MP3 |
| OGG / Opus | Ogg files carry Vorbis or Opus audio; both are lossy |
For scale, MDN works out that uncompressed 16-bit stereo at 48 kHz takes 192 KB per second, roughly 11 MB a minute (our arithmetic from MDN’s figure). A personal Gmail account can attach up to 25 MB, so a WAV a few minutes long is already over.
Which MP3 bitrate
MDN lists MP3 bitrates including 128, 192 and 320 kbps, notes that a higher bitrate means a larger file, and recommends at least 128 kbps for stereo.
| Choose | Good for |
|---|---|
| 128 kbps | Speech, podcasts, meeting recordings; small files |
| 192 kbps | Most music |
| 320 kbps | MP3’s best quality; the largest files |
Worth knowing: converting an MP3 back to WAV or FLAC doesn’t improve it, because the discarded detail is gone. Convert from the best-quality original you have.
Convert step by step
- Open the audio converter and choose a file. It opens WAV, M4A, AAC, FLAC, OGG, Opus and WebM, and the sound of MP4, MOV and MKV videos.
- Pick the output: MP3 (128/192/320 kbps), WAV or M4A.
- Convert and download.
Cut a song or recording
- Open the audio cutter and choose a file.
- Type the start and end, such as 0:30 to 1:00, or play the file, pause where you want and press the clock button to use that time.
- Listen, then cut. MP3, WAV and M4A files keep their type by default; you can change the format before cutting.
Ringtones
iPhone: Apple’s method uses the GarageBand app, which can import a file from the Files app. Ringtones can be up to 30 seconds; GarageBand shortens longer ones automatically, and protected files can’t be used. To choose the exact part yourself, cut it to 30 seconds or less first.
Android:
- Pixel: Google says to copy your music file (MP3) into the Ringtones folder, then go to Sound & vibration > Ringtone.
- Files by Google: play the audio file, tap More > Set as ringtone, and allow the app to modify system settings.
- Samsung: Samsung lists MP3, WMA, AAC and FLAC; M4A needs converting first, and tracks played through a streaming service such as Spotify can’t be set as ringtones.
Copyright
Section 32 of Thailand’s Copyright Act B.E. 2537 exempts uses of a copyright work that don’t conflict with the owner’s normal exploitation of it or unreasonably harm the owner’s rights, including use for your own benefit or your family’s. Cutting a song you’re entitled to use into a ringtone on your own phone is different from publishing or selling it. For audio in anything you publish, use music you have permission for.
Note
This article is based on MDN Web Docs, Apple, Google and Samsung help pages, and the consolidated Copyright Act B.E. 2537 published by the Government Public Relations Department, read on 30 September 2026. Ringtone steps vary by model and software version. This is general information, not legal advice.
