The M4A file format forms part of the MP4 specification, specifically the audio stream of the Mp4 format. .m4a files are essentially audio only bit streams encoded using the audio codecs from the MPEG-4 Part 14 specification. Audio encoding can be accomplished using algorithms from the lossy family or lossless family of codecs. One of the design goals of the M4A audio format was to achieve a high level compression ratio without sacrificing audio quality. In this regard, it was intended that the format would succeed the MP3 file format. Although it has done this from a technical standpoint, the MP3 format continues to be widely used.
The audio interchange file format, and its associated .aif filename extension, is one of the earliest uncompressed audio file formats released for personal computers. The format had its initial release in 1988 and was developed by Apple Inc. using the IFF ' interchange file format, developed by Electronic Arts, as a template. Because the format is inherently lossless, files tend to be large when pitted against lossy audio file formats. Because of this, .aif files are best suited for local storage and playback.
FreeFileConvert uses tuned encoding for M4A to AIFF conversions, preserving clarity while trimming file size. Finished audio streams instantly across phones, tablets, desktops, and modern browsers without extra tweaks.
Upload M4A files from desktop, tablet, or cloud storage, queue multiple jobs, and let the converter finish autonomously. Return whenever convenient to download synchronized AIFF 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 AIFF audio with dependable progress tracking.
Typically an m4a audio stream is encoded using the lossy Advanced Audio Coding format or AAC compression format which has a minimal tradeoff of audio quality in favor for storage size. In situations where maximum quality is required, the Apple Lossless Audio Codec or ALAC can be used.
The AIFF format uses the pulse code modulation technique to sample analog audio. A one minute sample at 44khz is comparatively larger than a standard mp3 file of the same sample by approximately 10:1. The format supports metadata including copyright information, comments, authoring information, as well as the ID3V2 tag
Upload your audio file in the M4A format from your device, Dropbox, or Google Drive.
Select AIFF 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.