The WAVE Format (waveform) format is developed by IBM and Microsoft.

It is supported by all computers running Windows, and by all the most popular web browsers.

Sounds stored in the WAVE format have the extension .wav.

Standard CD quality: 44.1Khz at 16 bits - 10.1 megabytes per minute of audio.

Better quality (and larger files) 96Khz at 24 bits - 33 megabytes per minute of audio.

The MP3 Format (MPEG) MP3 files are actually MPEG files. But the MPEG format was originally developed for video by the Moving Pictures Experts Group. We can say that MP3 files are the sound part of the MPEG video format.

MP3 is one of the most popular sound formats for music distribution on the internet. The MP3 encoding system combines good compression (small files) with high quality. Expect all your future software systems to support it.

Sounds stored in the MP3 format have the extension .mp3, or .mpga (for MPG Audio).

128 Kbps (higher Kbps give better quality but larger files)- Audio: 44,100 Hz, 16 Bit, Stereo.
One minute of audio compresses to a file size of approximately 0.91 MB (about 11:1 compression)

64 Kbps Audio: 22,050 Hz, 16 Bit, Stereo.
One minute of audio compresses to a file size of approximately 0.45 MB (about 22:1 compression)

The RealAudio Format  was developed for the Internet by Real Media. The format also supports video. The format allows streaming of audio (on-line music, Internet radio) with low bandwidths. Because of the low bandwidth priority, quality is often reduced.

Sounds stored in the RealAudio format have the extension .rm or .ram.

The AU Format  is supported by many different software systems over a large range of platforms.

Sounds stored in the AU format have the extension .au.

The AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format) was developed by Apple.

AIFF files are not cross-platform and the format is not supported by all web browsers.

Sounds stored in the AIFF format have the extension .aif or .aiff.

The SND Format The SND (Sound) was developed by Apple.

SND files are not cross-platform and the format is not supported by all web browsers.

Sounds stored in the SND format have the extension .snd.