MP3

MP3, short for MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3, is a digital audio coding format used for audio compression and is one of the most popular audio formats in use today. It was invented in 1991 by the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits in Erlangen, Germany.

MP3 is a lossy compression, meaning some of the sound is lost in the process of compression. It works by analyzing the frequency content of a song and removing frequencies outside the audible range. By doing this, the size of the file can be significantly reduced with minimal loss in audio quality.

MP3 supports up to a maximum of 48 kHz, 16-bit stereo audio, but is often used to compress higher bitrates such as CD quality. MP3 is an extremely efficient format, allowing the user to storehours and hours of audio with relatively small file sizes.

MP3 is widely used for music downloading and streaming, mobile devices, and online radio. It is also used as a format for file conversion, CD ripping, and as a format for burning audio files onto CDs.

MP3 is a popular choice for both professional and home music purposes, and has been embraced by the majority of music players, computers, and audio software. Although a newer file format, AAC, is gaining in popularity, MP3 remains one of the most popular audio formats used today.