Convert WAV to MP3 for Demo Submission, and Know When Not To

Drag the WAV into Smol, choose Compress, set the output to MP3 and a bitrate, and run it. The MP3 lands beside the WAV with a _compressed suffix, and the WAV is not overwritten by default. Smol’s bitrate runs from 16 to 512 kbps.

The size follows from the bitrate. A 3.5-minute song is about 37 MB as a 16-bit, 44.1 kHz WAV, about 8.4 MB at 320 kbps and about 5 MB at 192 kbps. Both pass a 25 MB inbox. That is arithmetic, so check the real file; a variable-bitrate encode will differ. Making a podcast instead? See Smol for podcasters, or voice-over auditions for spoken-word files. For how bitrate works, see audio bitrate explained, and for the Mac-side options see convert WAV to MP3 on Mac.

Which bitrate should a demo be?

Use 320 kbps if the size allows, or 192 kbps if it does not. Those are starting points, not measured thresholds. Listen to the result before you send it.

Bandcamp takes WAV, AIFF and FLAC only. SoundCloud’s API docs list both lossless and MP3 formats, up to 4 GB. DistroKid’s published agreement allows formats including MP3, but the sheet is dated 2021. Check each service’s upload screen before you send.

Bandcamp states its reason as starting from a high-quality source so it can make streaming and download versions, and it advises against converting an MP3 up to a lossless file.

Compress to MP3 for demos and rough listens. For anything another person will mix or master, send lossless instead. Smol’s audio bitrate is 16 to 512 kbps and sample rate 8 to 192 kHz.

Do not raise the sample rate or bit depth when you encode; a higher number does not add information that is not in the WAV. Leave the sample rate as the source unless an uploader asks for a specific one.

1. 1

   Bounce the final stereo mix as WAV

   Export 16-bit or 24-bit from your DAW and keep this file as the master.

2. 2

   Drag the WAV into Smol

   Drop a folder to batch several versions or songs at once.

3. 3

   Choose Compress, MP3, 320 kbps

   Drop to 192 kbps if the inbox cap is tight. Presets live on one Mac, so write your settings down for a second machine.

4. 4

   Check the output size

   Smol sets the bitrate, not the byte count, so read the file size. If it is over, run it again at a lower bitrate.

5. 5

   Rename and send

   Remove the _compressed suffix and use the artist and title, then attach or link it.

Stems are large because each is a full-length file: ten 4-minute stereo 24-bit, 48 kHz stems are about 69 MB each, roughly 690 MB. That is arithmetic. Mono stems are half of that.

• For a mixing engineer, send lossless WAV or FLAC through a link service. Email at 25 MB cannot carry it.
• For a collaborator who only needs to audition parts, an MP3 at 192 kbps is about 1.4 MB a minute per stem.
• Do not send MP3 stems to a mastering engineer, and do not convert them back to WAV later; the lost detail does not return.

Smol accepts WAV and FLAC and can output FLAC, which suits when the target is smaller but still lossless. For mixed file types in one drop, see batch converting audio on Mac and FLAC to MP3.

Free and built-in options come first, and for a single file they may be enough.

Smol’s advantage here is privacy and batching. An unreleased song never leaves your Mac, and a folder of versions converts in one pass. If you only encode one MP3 a month from your DAW, you do not need it.

Smol compresses and converts audio. It does not do the following.

• Mastering. It will not fix loudness, EQ or clipping, so deliver a finished mix.
• Distribution masters. Bandcamp rejects MP3 and distributors take better from lossless; send the WAV, not an MP3 you made.
• Recovering quality. An MP3 converted back to WAV is still an MP3.
• Sample-accurate editing or loop point work. Use your DAW.