ffmpeg

ffmpeg is a versatile video and audio converter for the command line.

audio editing

A brief overview of different audio formats:

format lossless free1
WAV yes no
MP3 no yes
FLAC yes yes
Opus no yes

You can convert a WAV file into an MP3 file with a bitrate of 256k using:

ffmpeg -i track01.wav -codec:a mp3 -b:a 256k track01.mp3

video editing

A brief overview of different video formats:

format free1
MP4 no
Matroska yes
Ogg yes
AVI no

more on ffmpeg


  1. As in open standard and no licensing requirements.