Using Artlist for music for videos. When you download they give you option of MP3 or WAV. Often when I watch the YouTube final product the music sounds "mushy". Is there advantages to one format over the other for YouTube?

For music in YouTube videos, downloading WAV files from Artlist is generally better than MP3.

• WAV is uncompressed, keeping all the original audio quality.

• MP3 uses "lossy" compression, removing some audio data to create smaller files. This can make the music sound less clear or "mushy," especially in detailed parts.

The audio trace from your video editor does also get re-encoded when you export your final video file.

This multi-step re-encoding process is exactly why starting with the highest possible quality audio file – the WAV – is so important.

1. Original Source (Artlist): You start with either a high-quality WAV or a compressed MP3.

2. Video Editor Export: When you export your video, your editor will encode the audio track within the video container (like MP4). If you started with an MP3, this is another round of lossy compression applied to already compressed audio. If you started with a WAV, the editor is working with full-quality audio for this first encoding step.

3. YouTube Upload: When you upload your video, YouTube then re-encodes the audio again for streaming.

Each time a lossy compression is applied, more data is discarded. 1 Starting with an MP3 means you're introducing quality loss at step 1. Then, your editor compresses it again (step 2), losing more data. Finally, YouTube compresses it a third time (step 3), leading to further degradation.

In short: Start with the best quality (WAV) to get the best possible result after YouTube's processing.

Thanks! Use Final Cut Pro for videos. Is there any tricks to improving the audio? Never really played with this aspect.

11 hours ago, aquabluedreams said:

Thanks! Use Final Cut Pro for videos. Is there any tricks to improving the audio? Never really played with this aspect.

I do too, and generally use the custom equalizer to cut off high-frequencies (which don't usually fare too well under recompression) - also make sure nothing in the red, and adjust volume accordingly (unless you're going for a take-it-to-11 heavymetal indiecore edit)