dBpoweramp Codec Central

Codec Central contains a wide selection of audio codecs. Codec is short for compression and decompression, adding extra reading (decoding) and writing (encoding) abilities to dBpoweramp.

There are two types of encoder:

Lossy: where audio quality is lost whilst encoding in order to create smaller files,
Lossless: no audio quality is lost (like zip compression).

Which Codec Should I Choose?

Here is a short guide - ensure your intended player supports your chosen format:

Highest Quality: lossless, no quality is lost, FLAC is popular. Apple devices use Apple Lossless,
Most Compatible: mp3 is king, however AAC (in a m4a file) has good support and is higher quality.

Codecs Included with dBpoweramp Reference

	AIFF	Uncompressed Apple Format [.aif .aiff]
	AAC	Advanced Audio Compression (LC, HE, HEv2) [.m4a]
	Apple Lossless (ALAC)	Lossless codec [.m4a]
	CDA	Audio CD Ripping [.cda]
DSD	DSD	Direct Stream Digital [.dsf]
	FLAC	Popular Lossless [.flac]
	m4a	Container format (AAC, Apple's own Lossless) [.m4a]
	mp3	dBpoweramp uses the excellent mp3 Lame [.m2a .mp1 .mp2 .mp3 .mpga .mpa .mpx .mpg]
	Monkeys Audio	Lossless codec [.ape]
	Musepack	Lossy codec for 128Kbps+ [.mpc, .mp+, .mpp]
	Ogg Vorbis	Open source [.ogg]
	Opus	Newer Ogg replacement [.opus]
	Speex	Speech Only Codec [.spx]
	Wave	Uncompressed PCM [.wav]
	Wavpack	Lossless codec [.wv .wvc]
	Windows Media Audio (WMA)	Microsoft V10 Pro, standard, lossless & voice. Windows Only [.wma, .asf, .wmv]

Utility Codecs Included with dBpoweramp Reference

These Codecs do not compress or read audio, rather perform useful actions, on tags, filenames or audio.

	[Arrange Audio]	Arrange audio tracks based on ID Tags (Requires Reference)
	[Audio Info]	Extract audio details to list, or a tab delimiter table (for Excel)
	[Calculate Audio CRC]	Compare tracks for differences in the audio component
	[Channel Split]	Extract multi-channel audio to single files
	[ID Tag Update]	Update tag version, manipulate or delete ID Tags without re-encoding, process whole library in a batch
	[Length Split]	Split tracks into smaller chunks
	[Multi Encoder]	Encode to two formats simultaneously
	[ReplayGain]	Non-destructive volume normalization calculation (requires compatible player)
	[Tag From Filename]	Set ID tags from filename or folder names

Decoders Included

AMR	Adaptive Multi-Rate (AMR)	Voice codec [.amr, .awb]
AC3	AC-3	Dolby AC3 [.ac3]
AU	AU/SND	Vintage lossy codec [.au, .snd]
	Core Audio Format	Lossless codec [.caf]
VOC	Creative Voice	Vintage voice codec [.voc]
EAC3	E-AC-3	Dolby enhanced AC3 [.eac3]
DTS	DTS / DTS HD	Dolby Theatre Systems, also DTS HD, Lossy surround codec [.dts, .dtshd]
MKA	Matroska Audio	Container Format [.mka]
MLP	Meridian Lossless Packing (MLP)	Lossless codec [.mlp]
TS	MPEG-TS	Container Format [.ts]
	Real Audio	Vintage streaming codec [.ra, .rm]
SHN	Shorten	Lossless codec [.shn]
	The True Audio	Lossless codec [.tta]
TAK	Tom's Audio Kompressor (TAK)	Lossless codec [.tak]
VQF	TwinVQ	Vintage lossy codec [.vqf]
WEBA	Web Audio	Container Format (Opus / Ogg) [.weba]

Optional Windows Codecs

Note codecs listed here are for the Windows version of dBpoweramp only.

	m4a QAAC iTunes Encoder	Advanced Audio Compression [.m4a]
	Broadcast Wave Format (BWF)	Professional codec [.wav]
	CLI Encoder	Encode to any Command Line Interface (CLI) encoder
	Dalet	Radio Automation system [.snd]
DX	DirectShow Decoder	Decode from any DirectX DirectShow installed decoder
	Midi	Musical Instrument Digital Interface [.mid .rmi]
	mp2	Professional broadcast [.mp2]
	Ogg Vorbis auToV	Tuned auToV encoder [.ogg]
	Wave64	Sony extension to the wave format [.w64]