Mp3 (Moving Pictures Expert Group Level-2 Layer-3 Audio) : This cross-platform format is a standard for web and portable audio files. In many respects the growth of this format is tied to the popularity of iPods and audio players on cell phones. Though you can output these files in stereo, you'll want to pay close attention to bandwidth settings for your MP3s.
Wav : If you use a PC to record a voiceover or other sound, you are familiar with the WAV format. WAV files have sample rates ranging from 8 kilohertz (the quality of your phone) up to 48 kilohertz (DAT tapes) and beyond. These files are also available with bit depths ranging from 8 bits right up to 32 bits. Just keep in mind that a file with a sample rate of 48 kilohertz and a 32 bit depth will result in a massive file size that simply shouldn't be used with Flash.
QuickTime : These files have extensions of .qta or .mov and can contain audio in many formats. If you do create a QuickTime audio file, you need to make the movie self-contained in QuickTime Pro.
AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format) : AIFF is the standard for the Macintosh and offers the same sample rates and bit depths as a wav file. Many purists will argue that the AIFF format is better than the wav format. This may indeed be true, but to the average person the difference between this format and wav is almost inaudible.
