Convert RAW Audio to 3GP — Free Online Converter
Convert Raw PCM Audio (.raw-audio) to 3GPP Multimedia (.3gp) online for free. Fast, secure audio conversion with no watermarks or registration....
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How to Convert
Upload your .raw 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 .3gp file when it's ready.
About RAW Audio to 3GP Conversion
Raw PCM audio is the most primitive digital audio representation — a stream of binary samples with no container, no header, and no metadata whatsoever. Every parameter that defines the audio (sample rate, bit depth, channel count, byte order) must be known externally and specified manually when opening the file. Raw audio is produced by embedded systems, DSP hardware, scientific data acquisition equipment, and low-level audio programming interfaces that output samples directly to disk without any framing overhead.
3GP is the mobile multimedia container developed by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project, designed for cellular networks and feature phones. It wraps H.263 or H.264 video with AMR or AAC audio in a lightweight MPEG-4 Part 12 structure. Converting raw PCM audio to 3GP produces an audio-only file inside a video container — no video track is present, but the 3GP wrapper provides the metadata and structure that raw audio completely lacks.
Why Convert RAW Audio to 3GP?
Raw PCM files are completely unplayable on any consumer device because no player can determine the sample rate, bit depth, or channel layout from the file alone. Without this information, the binary data is meaningless noise. Wrapping the audio in a 3GP container with proper codec framing makes it instantly recognizable to mobile phones and legacy Android devices that natively support 3GP playback.
Beyond playability, 3GP's AMR-NB codec provides extreme compression for speech-band audio, reducing raw PCM data by 95% or more. For embedded system voice recordings, field sensor audio logs, or DSP test captures that need to be reviewed on a mobile phone, 3GP conversion simultaneously solves the metadata problem and the file size problem in one step.
Common Use Cases
- Converting embedded system voice recordings captured as raw PCM for playback on field technicians' mobile phones
- Packaging DSP test bench audio output into a format reviewable on Android devices
- Compressing raw scientific audio captures for transfer over cellular networks
- Creating mobile-playable versions of raw intercom or radio recordings from industrial equipment
- Archiving raw audio sensor logs in a self-describing container for long-term retrieval on any device
How It Works
FFmpeg reads the raw PCM input using explicit format parameters: `-f s16le -ar 44100 -ac 2` specifies signed 16-bit little-endian samples at 44.1 kHz stereo. These flags are mandatory because the raw file contains no header to describe its format. If the actual parameters differ (e.g., 8 kHz mono from an embedded microphone), they must be adjusted accordingly or the output will be distorted. The decoded PCM is then encoded to AMR-NB at 8 kHz mono or AAC-LC at a specified bitrate and wrapped in a 3GP container conforming to the 3GPP specification.
Quality & Performance
The quality outcome depends entirely on specifying the correct input parameters. With accurate sample rate, bit depth, and channel count, the raw PCM represents perfect uncompressed audio — making it an ideal source for any target codec. AMR-NB encoding for 3GP will significantly reduce quality to speech-band levels (300-3400 Hz), which is acceptable for voice content but unsuitable for music. Choosing AAC audio within the 3GP container preserves substantially more fidelity.
Device Compatibility
| Device | RAW Audio | 3GP |
|---|---|---|
| Windows PC | Partial | Partial |
| macOS | Partial | Partial |
| iPhone/iPad | Partial | Partial |
| Android | Partial | Native |
| Linux | Partial | Partial |
| Web Browser | No | No |
Recommended Settings by Platform
Spotify
Resolution: N/A
Bitrate: 320 kbps
OGG Vorbis preferred
Apple Music
Resolution: N/A
Bitrate: 256 kbps
AAC format required
SoundCloud
Resolution: N/A
Bitrate: 128 kbps
Lossless FLAC/WAV for best quality
Podcast
Resolution: N/A
Bitrate: 128 kbps
MP3 mono for spoken word
Tips for Best Results
- 1Always verify the sample rate, bit depth, and channel count before converting — wrong parameters produce garbled audio with no error message
- 2Use AAC audio instead of AMR if the target device supports it, as AMR is limited to 8 kHz speech-band frequencies
- 3Test with a short segment first to confirm the input parameters are correct before converting a large raw file
- 4For embedded system captures at non-standard rates (e.g., 11025 Hz, 22050 Hz), specify the exact rate with -ar to avoid pitch shifting
- 5Consider M4A or MP4 instead of 3GP for any device manufactured after 2012 — 3GP offers no advantage on modern hardware
Raw audio to 3GP conversion transforms headerless binary samples into a structured, mobile-compatible container, solving both the metadata absence problem and providing aggressive compression for cellular-friendly file sizes.