Streaming & Digital

FLAC

Free Lossless Audio Codec: a compressed lossless audio format that reduces file size without discarding audio data.

FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) is an open, royalty-free audio format that compresses PCM audio data by roughly 50-60% without removing any audio information. On decoding, the output is identical to the original uncompressed source.

Why it matters

FLAC is popular for archiving music libraries because it halves storage requirements relative to WAV while preserving full quality. Support in DJ software varies: Rekordbox and Traktor read FLAC natively, but Pioneer CDJs require conversion to WAV or MP3 for USB playback.

In practice

Keep FLAC as your archive master and export WAV or high-bitrate MP3 for USB drives used on club gear, as standalone players vary in FLAC support.

More in Streaming & Digital

Streaming DJing Lossless Audio WAV / AIFF Bitrate Sample Rate Gain Normalization / ReplayGain ID3 Tags / Metadata Stems

Frequently asked questions

FLAC is lossless, meaning it preserves all the audio data from the original recording. MP3 is lossy and discards audio information to reduce file size. For DJing, a 320 kbps MP3 is usually indistinguishable from FLAC on most systems, but FLAC is preferable when file quality is available and storage is not a concern.

Serato DJ Pro and Rekordbox both support FLAC playback natively. If you use a hardware player like a CDJ-3000, check the firmware version since FLAC support was added in later updates. Always verify the format is supported on your actual hardware before a gig rather than assuming.

FLAC uses lossless compression, similar to how a ZIP file reduces size without removing data. WAV is uncompressed PCM, storing every sample directly with no compression step. A FLAC file is typically 50 to 60 percent the size of an equivalent WAV while decoding to the identical audio output.

Hey, it's Ben Modigell 👋

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I DJ and produce as so I so — downtempo, minimal, dub house, tech house, and techno (releases on Spotify and SoundCloud, links above). Everything I write here comes from my own gigs, studio sessions, and library cleanups: the rules I follow, the failure modes I've actually hit, and the workflow I use when nobody's watching. If a technique didn't earn its place in my own sets, it doesn't make it into a tutorial.

DJingMusic ProductionTech HouseMinimal HouseDub HouseTechnoDowntempoLibrary Organization