Should I export my browser recording as MP3 or WAV?

Start with what happens to the clip next

If you are sending a quick voiceover comparison to a collaborator, a compact MP3 may be the practical choice. If the clip is going into another audio project, WAV avoids adding MP3 compression at this export stage. Check what your destination accepts before deciding, especially for a presentation or another editing application.

These are exports of captured browser playback. When a service or your own project already provides an original download, that is usually the better starting point for keeping the original file. Recording its playback is a separate workflow.

Export the track you need

1. After Stop & save, preview the suggested tracks in the studio. Correct unwanted boundaries and check the automatic edge trimming.
2. Use the format selector beside Your tracks to choose MP3 or WAV · 16-bit PCM.
3. For MP3, choose 128, 256 or 320 kbps. The default is 256 kbps. The bitrate selector is not used for WAV.
4. Give the track a descriptive name and click its Export button. Each track is exported individually.
5. Open the resulting file and check the start, end and playback in the destination you intend to use.

Understand the three different originals

The source file is the audio supplied by its creator or service. Tabtone does not retrieve that file. During capture, Chrome supplies audio to Tabtone’s PCM workflow at 48 kHz; WAV export quantizes that captured audio to 16-bit PCM. WAV therefore avoids an extra lossy MP3 encode, but it is not automatically a source-quality master.

Save original has another meaning: it downloads Tabtone’s unchanged browser recording, normally WebM/Opus. That browser recording is already encoded. The button does not download the source creator’s original upload, and its codec timing can differ slightly from PCM-derived track exports.

MP3 adds a lossy encoding step. A higher bitrate can preserve more of the captured signal during that step, but cannot turn a low-quality source into a high-quality one. See how to choose an MP3 bitrate for a practical comparison.

WAV also uses more space: Tabtone’s longest supported 10-minute stereo WAV can be about 115 MB. Keep the files you need and verify your backups before deleting local takes. Choosing the format is a delivery decision, not a promise that the recording gains detail.