AIFF and M4A explained
AIFF is Apple's uncompressed audio format, functionally equivalent to WAV but with better metadata support and big-endian byte order.
M4A is an MP4 container holding only audio — usually AAC, sometimes Apple Lossless. The extension exists mainly so players know not to look for a video track.
- Where AIFF files come from
- Mac audio production and older Apple software.
- Where M4A is used
- iTunes purchases, Apple Music downloads, voice memos and audiobooks.