Mirinex

Backing tracks · Updated 2 October 2026

WAV vs MP3 for backing tracks
comes down to what you’ll do next.

The short answer on WAV vs MP3 for backing tracks: keep a WAV as your master for editing, and make an MP3 when you just need a smaller copy to listen to or send.

A singer learning the song in the car is happy with an MP3. Whoever’s getting the track ready for the show, trimming the intro or moving the key, wants the WAV. Whichever you send, test it on the device that will actually play it.

Pick the format for what happens next

Mirinex’s audio cutter, joiner, normalizer and pitch changer all save PCM WAV files, so nothing goes through lossy compression on the way out. Keep that WAV if you plan to trim the track, change its key or pass it to another editor, and make every new version from it.

MP3 uses lossy compression and plays on almost anything, as MDN’s audio-format guide explains. That makes it a good choice for a smaller listening copy. One catch: saving an MP3 as a WAV stops it losing anything more in your next edit, but it won’t bring back the detail the MP3 already threw away.

Save a backing-track master as a WAV

  1. Choose the song. Open the karaoke maker and select Choose a song. Use an audio file here. If you start from a video, the mix download usually gives you a video back instead of a WAV.
  2. Select Music. When the separation finishes, choose Music and press Play to hear the backing.
  3. Check the parts that matter. Listen to the intro, a busy chorus and the ending before you settle on this version.
  4. Select Download mix. With an audio file, that saves your mix as a WAV. If you only see a preview, a Day Pass or Pro processes the whole song first.
  5. Name the master properly. Put the song, arrangement and key in the filename, and make every rehearsal or show version from this copy.

Pulling the track out of a video

If your finished backing track lives inside a video, open MP4 to MP3 and select Choose a video. Press Play to make sure it’s the right soundtrack, then choose Download MP3 or Download WAV.

Both buttons give you the soundtrack that’s already in the video. Neither one changes the mix, so get the mix right before you pull it out. Keep the WAV for any more editing, and use the MP3 when you want a smaller copy of the same thing to listen to.

Test it where it’ll be played

Open the file on the actual player you’ll use at rehearsal or on the night. Check that it’s the right song, that the intro starts when you expect and that the ending isn’t cut short. Leave the .wav or .mp3 on the end of the filename so everyone can see the format, and send whichever one their setup can play.

Make your backing-track master

Hear the first minute of your own file. A Day Pass or Pro processes the whole thing.