MP3 to AIFF Converter
Decode MP3 files into uncompressed AIFF, the PCM container Mac audio software has used for decades. The output is 16-bit big-endian PCM, and be aware that only the title tag reliably survives the trip.
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Why Convert MP3 to AIFF
MP3 is a delivery format. It is small because a psychoacoustic model threw away parts of the signal, and every player has to decode it on the fly. AIFF, Apple's Audio Interchange File Format, stores plain uncompressed PCM samples, which is why Logic Pro, GarageBand, Pro Tools and Final Cut have always treated it as a first-class import. Some older Mac-centric tools, hardware samplers and DJ setups still want AIFF specifically rather than WAV or MP3.
Here the work is done server-side by ffmpeg. The MP3 is decoded to PCM and written into an AIFF container using the format's default codec, 16-bit big-endian PCM. Nothing is filtered along the way: no resampling, no normalization, no gain change. The audio in the AIFF is exactly what an MP3 decoder produces from your file.
Preserved: the sample rate and the channel count. A 44.1 kHz stereo MP3 stays 44.1 kHz stereo, and a mono voice recording stays mono. Approximated or lost: the depth is fixed at 16-bit, so this is not the route for a 24-bit workflow; in testing only the title tag came through, with artist and album dropped; embedded cover art is discarded, as it is on every target we write.
The honest reason to do this is workflow, not fidelity. Converting to AIFF does not add back anything the MP3 encoder removed. What it does is give you a file your DAW can scrub, time-stretch and bounce without re-decoding, and it stops you from re-compressing the same audio each time you save. Typical users are podcast editors handed MP3 source, people building a Logic or GarageBand project around a downloaded track, and DJs whose software prefers PCM.
How to Convert MP3 to AIFF
- Start from the best MP3 you have. A 320 kbps file and a 96 kbps file both produce the same size AIFF, but the 96 kbps one will still sound like 96 kbps.
- Drag your .mp3 files onto the upload area or click to pick them. Multiple files are allowed, and this page also accepts other audio sources such as M4A, WAV, FLAC, OGG and WMA.
- Check the size limit for your account: 50 MB per file as a guest, 100 MB on a free account, 200 MB on Plus and 1 GB on Pro, with 10 files per guest batch.
- Run the conversion. Files are queued and processed on our servers; a typical song finishes within a few seconds of the upload completing.
- Download the AIFF. It keeps your original file name with the .aiff extension. Note that .aif is not accepted as an input here, so if you later re-upload a file, rename it to .aiff first.
- Import it into Logic, GarageBand or Pro Tools. Because the tags mostly do not survive, rename or label the region in your project if track details matter.
What This Converter Does
- Writes a standard AIFF file with 16-bit big-endian PCM, the depth and byte order Mac audio tools expect.
- Keeps the source sample rate and channel count instead of forcing everything to 44.1 kHz stereo.
- Decodes the MP3 with ffmpeg, including low-bitrate and mono files from voice recorders.
- Converts the whole file with no trimming, so long mixes and podcast episodes come across complete.
- Accepts several files per upload, and will take a mixed bag of audio formats on the same page.
- Gives each output the original base name, so a folder of numbered tracks stays in order.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will converting MP3 to AIFF make it sound better?
No. The data the MP3 encoder discarded is gone for good, and decoding to PCM cannot reconstruct it. The AIFF will sound like the MP3 did. The gain is compatibility and avoiding further generation loss while you edit.
Why is the AIFF ten times larger?
AIFF stores every sample uncompressed, around 10 MB per minute for 16-bit 44.1 kHz stereo, no matter how small the MP3 was. The size reflects the format, not the quality of the source.
Can I get 24-bit AIFF output?
No. Our AIFF output is always 16-bit. Since the source is an MP3 there is no 24-bit information to preserve anyway, but if you need a higher bit depth for a session, set your project depth in your DAW and let it convert on import.
Did my artist and album tags survive?
Usually not. In our testing only the title tag came through to AIFF; artist and album were dropped, and cover art is removed on every format we output. If metadata matters more than PCM, consider converting to M4A or FLAC instead, both of which keep tags.
Should I pick AIFF or WAV for my project?
The audio is effectively the same, 16-bit PCM either way; AIFF is big-endian and Mac-traditional, WAV is little-endian and universal. If your software accepts both, WAV is the safer choice for sharing with Windows collaborators. Choose AIFF when a Mac tool or sampler asks for it by name.
Can I set a start and end point, or convert just a section?
No. The entire file is converted, with no trim or start/end options on this page. Cut the audio in your editor after converting, or use a dedicated audio-trimming tool before uploading.
My file failed with an invalid data error. What went wrong?
That usually means the MP3 is truncated or is not really an MP3, for example a partially downloaded file or something renamed to .mp3. Play it locally to confirm, then re-download or re-export it and try again.
What happens to my upload and my AIFF afterwards?
The MP3 you upload is deleted as soon as the job ends. The AIFF stays available on a private random download link for about four hours and is then deleted automatically. Conversion runs on our servers, and we log file names, sizes and results.