.AA3 File Extension
ATRAC Audio File
| Developer | Sony |
| Popularity |
3.7 | 16 Votes |
What is a AA3 file?
An AA3 file is an audio file compressed with Sony's ATRAC (Adaptive Transform Acoustic Coding) compression technology. It contains a music track in a quality similar to CD audio and does not include any copy protection or digital rights management (DRM). Sony ceased ATRAC in 2008, but several audio players, including MAGIX Sound Forge and Sony ACID Xpress, still support AA3 files.
More Information
Sony developed the ATRAC compression algorithms and released them in 1992. ATRAC first appeared in the MiniDisc data storage format (a format meant to replace the cassette tape, but the CD quickly surpassed it).
ATRAC underwent several updates throughout the 1990s and 2000s. However, few audio players or devices adopted the format outside of Sony audio devices (like the Walkman) and Sony's discontinued Connect Music Store. Sony eventually ended the development of ATRAC codecs in 2008.
NOTE: Audio files compressed with ATRAC compression often bear the .aa3 file extension, but they may also be saved in the OpenMG Audio container with the .oma (.OMA file) or .omg (.OMG file) file extensions. Additionally, .AT3 files use the ATRAC3 codec.
How to open a AA3 file
You can open AA3 files with various applications, including MAGIX Sound Forge Pro, MAGIX VEGAS, and Sony ACID Xpress in Windows.
Sony SonicStage is a discontinued program for managing portable devices connected to Windows that also supports AA3 files. To transfer an AA3 file to a Sony device, you may need to change the file extension to .omg.
How to convert a AA3 file
Various applications, including MAGIX Sound Forge Pro and Sony ACID Xpress, can convert AA3 files to other formats.
For example, Sound Forge Pro can convert AA3 files to many file types, including the following formats: