Recording in FLAC (free lossless audio codec) format is superior to other recording formats because of its high sound quality and smaller file size. Musician, songwriter, recording artist, and guitar and piano teacher Joey Mutis explains why he uses FLAC files for music recording and playback.

I use FLAC because it sounds the same as a wav file, but takes up less space.

The most important feature to FLAC format is that it maintains high-resolution through compression without any loss in quality. “I use FLAC because it sounds the same as a wav file, but takes up less space,” said Mutis. He plays files in FLAC format primarily for file sharing his recorded music via BitTorrent and downloading professionally recorded files from other artists.

The Olympus LS-P4 handheld voice recorder is the world's first digital voice recorder that uses FLAC format to record and playback. FLAC files are also advantageous because they allow you to reduce the file size by about 30 percent smaller than the original data without compromising sound quality in any way.

This means you can, for example, save an entire album of music in half the space (and in half the download time) on your computer with better sound quality than larger MP3 or WAV files. And now they are more accessible than ever. According to CNET.com, “Currently, almost every record label is on board with the format, and consumers can buy lossless (FLAC) music from both major and indie acts for the same price as the iTunes Store.”

FLAC is commonly used by sound-quality conscious music fans...Why does anyone listen to an mp3 when it simply doesn’t sound as good?


- Joey Mutis