The Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits has killed the MP3 codec it developed in the late 1980s. All licensing programs for MP3 related patents and software they have developed have been terminated as of April 23rd. Fraunhoffer states that the MP3 codec will be replaced by the improved AAC ones and MPEG-H.

This is wrong of course as FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) is rapidly replacing MP3s as a preferred storage format for digital audio. FLAC is losslessly compressed like a .zip file but optimized for Pulse code modulation audio such as standard compact disc Redbook audio (16 bit, 44.1 khz PCM). Perceptually encoded lossy formats such as MP3 were never able to equal the sound quality of normal CD playback on a decent high-fidelity setup. All sound stage (both left to right panning and depth) was lost along with plasticizing all the noise and distortion on recordings. Drum timing was always off due to the pre-echo of volume transients such as snare and cymbal hits.

FLAC files purchased from online retailers such as Bandcamp or ripped from CDs with modern secure ripping programs such as Exact Audio Copy offer CD quality sound when outputted to decent external interfaces and digital to analog converters. Cheap Chinese crap might give you worse sound quality than your noisy, remixed with operating sounds in computer jack but there is zero reason for MP3 files to still be as popular and distributed as they were in the late 90s when something much better has come along that doesn’t compromise sound quality. Hipsters still love cassettes that turn to crap after playing it twice and vinyl played back on crap from Target though so now they will probably fetishize MP3s eventually too.

Tags: flac, fraunhofer, internet, mp3, mp3s, sound