mp3

Digital music format

An mp3 is a digital audio file compressed using the MP3 format, which reduces file size while preserving reasonable sound quality.

The term became synonymous with digital music in the late 1990s and early 2000s: I downloaded a bunch of mp3s.

Though newer formats exist, mp3 remains widely used and understood as shorthand for any digital music file.

file

song

Musical piece with words

albumUnified collection of recordings
trackPath or monitored route
artistMaker of creative works

genre · single · audiobook · podcast · recording · mixtape · demo · remix · cover · instrumental

playback

player

Game participant

playlistArranged media collection
shuffleRandomize by mixing
repeatDo or say again

skip · pause · play · volume · equalizer · queue · library · scrubbing · gapless · crossfade

Categories

recordingsaudio recording, albums, studio albums, video recording, live albums
file extensionsdoc, txt, pdf, zip, exe
fichierstxt, pdf, doc, zip, exe
file formatspdf, PDF, JPEG, PNG, MP4
media formatsDVD, MP4, Blu-ray, VHS, CD
digital filesfile, audio file, files, document, backup file

Opposites

audio format type

Synthetic resin plastic

analog · record · LP · cassette tape · phonograph record

audio quality/fidelity

Retaining all original information

uncompressed · FLAC · WAV · hi-fi · CD quality

Phrases

mp3 playerPortable digital music device
MP3 CDDisc storing compressed audio files
MP3 converterSoftware changing audio formats

Family

Familiarity: Top 500,000
Profile: Known to kids · Used worldwide · Everyday, not technical · Rated G