The FLAC file format associated with the .flac filename extension refers to the FLAC audio encoding algorithm. FLAC is the acronym for Free Lossless Audio Codec. The algorithm is from the lossless audio compression family of formats for digital audio compression. It was developed by the Xiph.Org foundation, a non-profit organization that produces open and free to use multimedia formats, and had its initial release in 2001. Though there isn't widespread compatibility for the format as compared to similar formats such as MP3, the FLAC format enjoys some compatibility and support with in car and home stereo manufacturers as well audio playback software and portable audio devices.
The data compression to get a lossless audio, a file format and an algorithm used is APE, also known as Monkey's Audio. This compression can retain data and not suffer losses during its compression as opposed to the other compressions with losses such as MP3, Musepack, ACC, and Vorbis. It encodes and compresses the audio to reduce transfer time, storage space. The audio extension APE is used for an audio file to track the metadata. The format is available freely for users possessing media players and playback plugins.
FreeFileConvert uses tuned encoding for FLAC to APE conversions, preserving clarity while trimming file size. Finished audio streams instantly across phones, tablets, desktops, and modern browsers without extra tweaks.
Upload FLAC files from desktop, tablet, or cloud storage, queue multiple jobs, and let the converter finish autonomously. Return whenever convenient to download synchronized APE results on any device you rely on.
Process up to 5 files sized 1000 MB per batch without splitting queues manually. Mixed-format uploads convert together, producing consistent APE audio with dependable progress tracking.
The FLAC compression algorithm has a claimed compression effectiveness of between 50 and 60%, and is able decompress audio streams to a bit for bit identical facsimile of the original. The FLAC format supports metadata tagging including other features such as seeking, album or cover art. Decoding information is stored in each FLAC frame, this makes the format particularly suited to streaming over computer networks.
The source code for APE is not considered as an open source. It has a symmetrical algorithm, a process of an encoding comparable decoding which makes the files not suitable for fast players for example Rockbox. To cover this, an independent GPL code is written for and is added in FFmpeg. It also provides limited support to software other than the ones for Windows.
Upload your audio file in the FLAC format from your device, Dropbox, or Google Drive.
Select APE as the output format and click Convert. Adjust optional settings if needed.
Download the converted audio file. Each file stays available for up to 5 downloads.