AIFF to MP3 converter
Convert AIFF audio to MP3 with configurable bitrate and metadata options.
AIFF is Apple's uncompressed PCM format, the Mac equivalent of WAV, and it is what Logic, GarageBand and older Mac recorders bounce by default. Like WAV it is enormous — roughly 10 MB per stereo minute at CD rate — and it is not what you put on a phone or send to a podcast host. This converter encodes AIFF to MP3 with libmp3lame in your browser. Because AIFF is uncompressed, the encoder is working from a full-quality master, so this is a single lossy generation and 320 kbps genuinely gets close to transparent. Four bitrate presets, an optional VBR mode, and ID3 metadata including artwork preserved by default.
Key facts about AIFF to MP3 converter
| AIFF is uncompressed PCM | Apple's counterpart to WAV, with big-endian sample ordering; both store audio with no compression at all |
|---|---|
| First-generation encode | The source is lossless, so the MP3 encoder works from the full signal — the best case for MP3 quality |
| Bitrate presets | 320 maximum, 256 high, 192 balanced, 128 compact; default is 320 because the source justifies it |
| VBR option | libmp3lame quality level 2, averaging around 190 kbps with bits allocated by complexity |
| Typical size drop | A 50 MB AIFF becomes about 11 MB at 320 kbps or 7 MB at 192 kbps — roughly a five to seven times reduction |
| Metadata | ID3 fields including title, artist, album and artwork are preserved by default |
| Sample rate limit | MP3 tops out at 48 kHz, so a 96 kHz AIFF is resampled during conversion |
| Bit depth | A 24-bit AIFF's extra depth has no MP3 equivalent; the format has no bit-depth concept |
| Batch | Convert several files at once and download them as a ZIP built in the browser |
| Size cap | 200 MB per file, which is about twenty minutes of 16-bit stereo AIFF |
What happens to your file
The encode runs on ffmpeg compiled to WebAssembly inside a Web Worker in this tab. Your AIFF files go into that worker's in-memory filesystem, the MP3s come back as blobs, and the batch ZIP is built in the browser. Nothing is uploaded and no copy is stored. One network request happens: the first time you use an audio tool here the browser fetches the ffmpeg core, about 32 MB of fixed public code from the jsDelivr CDN, which it then caches and reuses. That download contains no part of your files.
About this tool
- 1
Add the AIFF files
Drop .aiff or .aif files, up to 200 MB each — around twenty minutes of 16-bit stereo, less for 24-bit or high-resolution bounces.
- 2
Choose a bitrate
320 kbps is the default and appropriate from an uncompressed source. 192 kbps halves the size again and is still excellent for casual listening.
- 3
Consider VBR
Variable bitrate is slightly smaller at comparable quality. Turn it off if the destination is old hardware that handles VBR MP3 badly.
- 4
Keep metadata
Preservation is on by default, carrying title, artist, album and artwork into the MP3's ID3 tags — useful for Logic bounces that were already labelled.
- 5
Convert
Files process one at a time with per-file progress and a summary line showing the exact settings applied.
- 6
Download
Individually or as a ZIP. Keep the AIFF masters; they are what you re-encode from next time.
| Input | AIFF and AIF (.aiff, .aif, audio/aiff, audio/x-aiff), up to 200 MB per file |
|---|---|
| Output | MP3 via libmp3lame, constant or variable bitrate |
| Bitrates | 128, 192, 256, 320 kbps |
| Metadata | ID3 tags and embedded artwork preserved when the toggle is on |
| Sample rate | Matched to the source, subject to MP3's 48 kHz ceiling |
| Batch output | Individual downloads or a single client-side ZIP |
| Engine | Single-threaded ffmpeg.wasm 0.12.10, ~32 MB core cached after first use |
| Browsers | Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari 15+ |
- Keep the AIFFs. They are the uncompressed master, and every future conversion should start from them rather than from an MP3.
- 320 kbps or VBR is worth it here in a way it is not when converting one lossy format to another — the encoder has the full signal to work with.
- A 24-bit AIFF has no direct MP3 equivalent, because MP3 has no bit-depth concept. Nothing goes wrong; the extra depth simply has nowhere to live.
- A 96 kHz AIFF is resampled to 48 kHz or lower, since that is MP3's ceiling. If the high sample rate matters, use FLAC instead via the general audio converter.
- For archiving rather than distribution, converting AIFF to FLAC keeps the audio lossless at roughly half the size.
- The 200 MB cap bites fast on uncompressed audio — a single long AIFF can exceed it. Split it with the audio trimmer first if needed.
- If the bounce is quiet, normalize before converting so the MP3 encoder works at a sensible level rather than on a quiet signal.
- Four bitrate presets from 128 to 320 kbps
- Optional MP3 variable bitrate
- ID3 metadata and artwork preservation
- Accepts both .aiff and .aif extensions
- Batch conversion with per-file progress
- ZIP download for whole sessions
- In-page playback of the result
- Making MP3 reference mixes from Logic or GarageBand AIFF bounces
- Shrinking a folder of AIFF masters into something you can email
- Preparing MP3 versions of recordings for a podcast host that requires them
- Converting old Mac audio files for a phone or a car stereo
- Producing listening copies of session bounces while keeping the AIFF masters
- Getting AIFF field recordings into a format that plays on any device
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