WAV to FLAC for Podcasts

Podcasters hit this specific conversion because recording sessions is where the WAV came from — a remote guest, a field recording, a clip — and WAV is uncompressed, so files are enormous — an hour of audio runs past 600 MB. For a show you need FLAC, so the WAV-to-FLAC step is part of the edit, not an afterthought.

Edit in FLAC, publish in something lossy. Keeping the working file lossless means your cuts, levelling, noise reduction, and EQ all happen on raw samples — and only the final episode export is lossy, applied once to the finished mix.

Podcast bitrates are lower than most people assume, deliberately. 128 kbps stereo is the widely used standard, and 64–96 kbps mono is entirely respectable for pure speech — it roughly halves the download for every listener, which adds up across a back catalogue and matters to anyone on limited mobile data. Reserve 192 kbps and above for shows where music genuinely carries the experience.

Mono is the decision most worth revisiting. If your episode is voices with no meaningful stereo image — which describes most interview and solo shows — mono at 96 kbps is perceptually equivalent to stereo at 192 and half the size. Publishing stereo by default is a habit, not a requirement. And archive the lossless edit: social clips, best-of segments, and fixes should always be cut from that, never from the published file.

You won't save meaningful space — the two formats are within touching distance at 10–5 MB per minute. Lossless in, lossless out. The round trip is reversible, so convert as often as you like.

Where does a WAV file even come from? Usually recording sessions, DAW bounces, and anything captured uncompressed. The catch is that WAV is uncompressed, so files are enormous — an hour of audio runs past 600 MB. FLAC is the destination when you need uncompressed, edit-ready audio that every DAW and editor accepts. Sizes are comparable: WAV and FLAC both sit near 10–5 MB per stereo minute, so this conversion is about compatibility, not storage. Both WAV and FLAC are lossless, so this specific conversion is bit-perfect: every sample survives and you can go back to WAV later without any loss.