Convert MXF to ALAC — Free Online Converter
Convert Material Exchange Format (.mxf) to Apple Lossless Audio Codec (.alac) online for free. Fast, secure video conversion with no watermarks or reg...
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Upload your .mxf file by dragging it into the upload area or clicking to browse.
Choose your output settings. The default settings work great for most files.
Click Convert and download your .m4a file when it's ready.
About MXF to ALAC Conversion
MXF (Material Exchange Format) is the SMPTE ST 377 professional container used across broadcast networks, post-production facilities, and professional camera systems from Sony, Panasonic, and ARRI. MXF files contain broadcast-standard audio — typically 48 kHz/24-bit PCM across multiple tracks — alongside professional video codecs. ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec) is Apple's lossless compression format, delivering bit-perfect audio reproduction at roughly 50-60% of the uncompressed file size.
Converting MXF to ALAC extracts audio from professional broadcast containers and compresses it losslessly using Apple's codec. This is ideal for Apple-ecosystem workflows where storage efficiency matters but quality cannot be compromised — every audio sample from the original MXF recording is preserved exactly.
Why Convert MXF to ALAC?
Broadcast audio extracted from MXF as uncompressed PCM (WAV or AIFF) consumes significant storage — roughly 1 GB per hour of stereo 48 kHz/24-bit audio. ALAC compresses this by 40-50% with zero quality loss, making it practical to store large audio archives from broadcast productions on Apple devices, iCloud, and NAS systems. For facilities managing thousands of hours of broadcast audio, the storage savings are substantial.
ALAC is natively supported by all Apple devices (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, HomePod) and integrates seamlessly with iTunes, Apple Music, Logic Pro, and Final Cut Pro. Production teams working primarily in the Apple ecosystem can distribute lossless audio from MXF sources without requiring recipients to install specialized software or codecs.
Common Use Cases
- Archiving broadcast audio from MXF files into lossless compressed format for long-term Apple-ecosystem storage
- Distributing lossless dialog stems from MXF production files to editors working on MacBook and iPad
- Creating Apple Music-compatible lossless audio extracts from broadcast music recordings
- Building portable lossless audio libraries from MXF field recordings for iPhone and iPad playback
- Compressing broadcast interview audio from MXF files for space-efficient iCloud archival
How It Works
FFmpeg demuxes the MXF container, extracts the selected audio track, and encodes to ALAC within an M4A (MPEG-4 Audio) container. The pipeline: `-vn -map 0:a:0 -c:a alac -ar 48000 -sample_fmt s32p`. ALAC supports up to 32-bit depth and 384 kHz sample rate, easily accommodating broadcast-standard 48 kHz/24-bit. MXF multi-track audio requires explicit track selection via `-map` flags since ALAC files are typically single-stream. Compression is mathematically lossless — the decoded output is bit-identical to the PCM source.
Quality & Performance
ALAC is mathematically lossless — every single audio sample from the MXF source is preserved exactly. There is zero quality degradation, zero generation loss, and zero frequency response alteration. The decoded ALAC output is bit-for-bit identical to the original PCM audio in the MXF container. File sizes are typically 50-60% of the equivalent uncompressed audio, depending on content complexity (simple speech compresses more than dense orchestral music).
Device Compatibility
| Device | MXF | ALAC |
|---|---|---|
| Windows PC | Partial | Partial |
| macOS | Partial | Native |
| iPhone/iPad | Partial | Native |
| Android | Partial | Partial |
| Linux | Partial | Partial |
| Web Browser | No | No |
Recommended Settings by Platform
YouTube
Resolution: 1920x1080
Bitrate: 8-12 Mbps
H.264 recommended for fast processing
Resolution: 1080x1080
Bitrate: 3.5 Mbps
Square or 9:16 for Reels
TikTok
Resolution: 1080x1920
Bitrate: 4 Mbps
9:16 vertical, under 60s ideal
Twitter/X
Resolution: 1280x720
Bitrate: 5 Mbps
Under 140s, 512MB max
Resolution: 960x540
Bitrate: 2 Mbps
16MB limit for standard, 64MB for document
Discord
Resolution: 1280x720
Bitrate: 4 Mbps
8MB free, 50MB Nitro
Tips for Best Results
- 1Use `-sample_fmt s32p` to ensure 24-bit broadcast audio is encoded at full depth — ALAC's 32-bit container accommodates 24-bit samples without truncation
- 2Extract each audio track from the MXF as a separate ALAC file to preserve discrete channel assignments for post-production
- 3Keep the 48 kHz sample rate from the MXF source — do not resample to 44.1 kHz unless targeting CD-standard distribution
- 4For large broadcast archives, ALAC's 40-50% compression over PCM significantly reduces storage costs on iCloud, NAS, and external drives
- 5Verify lossless integrity by decoding the ALAC back to PCM and comparing checksums with the original MXF audio extraction
MXF to ALAC conversion provides lossless audio extraction with intelligent compression, cutting storage requirements nearly in half while preserving every sample for Apple-ecosystem production, archival, and distribution workflows.