(Speaking of a very low quality MP3 that I was supposed to work from)

Producer: Well if MP3 is lossy, just convert it back to AIF. AIF is lossless!

Me: Unfortunately, the conversion process cannot "invent" the missing detail. If I convert that MP3 back to AIF, it will sound just as crappy.

Producer: Are you telling me that AIF is a big, giant scam?