In this article

You'll learn how to:

• understand the difference between WAV, AIFF, and MP3 for practical use
• understand why WAV files don't reliably carry metadata
• know what DISCO does automatically when you upload audio
• manage multiple formats attached to a single track
• follow a simple best practice workflow for pitching and delivery

Two jobs, two formats

Audio files in a music workflow serve two distinct purposes and the right format depends on which job you are doing.

Pitching - you need fast streaming, small file sizes, and metadata that travels with the file so recipients see the right information when they open it. MP3 is the right format for this. It is streamable, lightweight, and carries ID3v2 metadata reliably.

Delivery - you need high-quality audio that holds up in post-production and editing systems. WAV or AIFF are the right formats here. AIFF is often preferred in sync workflows specifically because it maintains quality and carries metadata more reliably than WAV.

To work efficiently you need both - and DISCO is designed to keep them linked automatically so you never have to manage separate folders for each format.

Why WAV files don't reliably carry metadata

This is the most common source of confusion around audio formats in the music industry.

You may see metadata displayed alongside a WAV file in iTunes or another player - but that data is typically stored locally by the application, not written into the file itself. WAV files do not reliably carry ID3v2 metadata in a way that travels between systems. When a WAV is uploaded to DISCO, or opened in another piece of software, that metadata often disappears.

Some tag editors can embed metadata into WAV files and some tools will read it - but industry software does not handle it consistently enough to rely on. The practical rule is simple: treat WAV files as if they do not carry metadata. If you need metadata to travel with a file, use AIFF or MP3.

Encoding vs transcoding

Two terms worth understanding clearly.

Encoding is what happens when audio is first captured - a recording is encoded into a digital file format like WAV, AIFF, or MP3.

Transcoding is converting from one format to another - for example, converting a WAV into an MP3 for streaming.

The important thing to know about transcoding: you cannot convert a low-quality MP3 back into a high-quality WAV and restore the audio detail that was lost when the MP3 was created. Compression in an MP3 is permanent. Always start with your highest-quality source file and transcode down from there - never the other way around.

What DISCO does automatically when you upload

When you upload a high-quality audio file - WAV, AIFF, or FLAC - DISCO automatically generates a compressed MP3 for streaming. This gives you a high-quality source file for download and a fast-loading MP3 for playback and sharing, both linked to the same track.

Uploading an MP3 does not generate a WAV or AIFF version. DISCO only creates the streaming MP3 from high-resolution source files, not the other way around. This is another reason to always upload your highest-quality master.

On Artist and Pro plans and above, DISCO also includes a WAV to AIFF and AIFF to WAV converter, so you can generate whichever high-resolution format you need from an existing file.

Manage multiple formats on one track

In DISCO, a single track record can have multiple file formats attached to it - a WAV master, an AIFF, and an MP3 - all linked together without creating duplicate track records or separate folders.

To add a format to an existing track, open the track menu and select Manage Files and Formats, then choose Add Format. To replace an existing file with a new version, choose Replace from the same menu.

When you share a playlist, the Formats tab in the Save Playlist settings lets you control which formats recipients can access. You can make the full-resolution original the default download, or restrict downloads to MP3 only.

A simple best practice workflow

The cleanest approach for most workflows:

• upload your highest-quality WAV files into DISCO
• let DISCO auto-generate the MP3 for streaming
• add clean metadata to the track - it will display correctly in DISCO and travel with AIFF and MP3 downloads
• pitch using the streamable playlist URL - recipients stream the MP3
• deliver using the high-resolution original when a placement is confirmed

You no longer need separate folders for each format or a manual transcoding step before uploading. DISCO handles the format management and keeps everything linked to one track record.

Wrap up

You do not need to be a digital audio engineer to manage formats well in DISCO. The practical things to remember are that MP3 is for pitching, WAV and AIFF are for delivery, WAV files do not reliably carry metadata, and DISCO links formats automatically so you only ever work with one track record. Upload your highest-quality master, let DISCO do the transcoding, and the rest follows.