Most free audio converters do one thing silently wrong: they re-encode your file at a lower bitrate without telling you.

You upload a 320kbps MP3. You get back a 128kbps MP3. Your file is smaller but your audio has been permanently degraded — most people can't hear it until they run it through professional monitors.

Here's what actually matters when converting audio:

1. Lossless-to-lossy is a one-way street

Convert WAV → MP3 once at the right bitrate. Re-encoding an already-lossy file stacks compression artifacts. Always keep your lossless master.

2. LUFS targeting matters more than peak normalization

Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube normalize to specific LUFS levels. Too hot and they'll turn you down. Too quiet and you sound weak in playlists. Target -14 LUFS for streaming, -23 LUFS for broadcast.

3. Sample rate conversion is a silent killer

Downsampling 96kHz to 44.1kHz poorly introduces aliasing. You'll hear digital noise in the quiet sections if you're not using proper dithering.

WaveForge handles all of this automatically — lossless-safe conversion, LUFS targeting, proper dithering, and format compatibility across every major platform. One payment, lifetime access.