If you’re old enough, you might remember the iconic chimes sound introduced in Windows 3.1. It sounds so simple today, but it was a nice upgrade from the mere beeps produced by old computers.
It’s all thanks to WAV that we had this sound to let us know our download was successful. Today, though, it has a much larger application.
But, what are WAV files and what are their differences from other audio files? Keep on reading to learn all about it, how to convert it, and more.
What Are WAV Files?
WAV (pronounced as “wave”) is short for Waveform Audio File Format. It’s a raw audio file format that has become the standard for storing uncompressed audio data. This is why a WAV file is usually larger than, say, an MP3 file.
It’s a container format that stores data in “chunks,” applying the Resource Interchange File Format (RIFF). In this way, it’s similar to the formats 8SVX and AIFF.
As such, it may contain audio recordings using different bitrates and sample rates. It also stores information aside from the audio data.
Although it’s used in PCs most of the time, it’s also a viable interchange medium for other platforms. This means you can open it even on Mac computers.
How to Open a WAV File
Speaking of, opening it is pretty simple. As it’s a widely used format, most operating systems – including Apple’s macOS and Windows – have pre-installed applications that can open and play a WAV file. Meaning, you don’t have to download any special program to run it.
Windows has Windows Media Player, which will run if you double-click on a WAV file. Mac computers will use either iTunes or Quicktime.
If your computer doesn’t have these programs, you can download the VLC media player, which has over 3 billion downloads as of now. VideoLAN can play DivX, MP4, WMV, and more on top of WAV files. You can download it on Windows, macOS, Linux, Chrome OS, Android, iOS, and other systems.
Some other media players we trust are Eltima Elmedia Player, Clementine, and Audacity. As it’s a standard file format, though, any program of your choice should be able to read it.
Differences of WAV from Other File Formats
You now have an idea what are WAV files, but how do they differ from other file formats? What are the benefits of WAV files that other formats don’t have?
Quality
WAV files are lossless and uncompressed. Meaning, they suffer no loss of quality from the original recording even after reproduction.
Other formats result in loss of audio quality after conversion. This is why WAV files have clearer and crisper audio. In terms of quality, WAV wins in WAV files vs MP3.
Size
However, it’s also because of this that WAV files are bigger than other formats, like MP3. At CD-quality, a WAV file can have around 10 MB per minute. This is because it’s limited to 4 GB files, which works out to 6.8 hours of audio at 44.1 kHz, 16-bit stereo.
A three-minute song at this quality would then need around 30 MB of disk space. Simply changing to 48 kHz and 24-bit stereo would increase the file size to 16.48 MB.
Usage
For this reason, it’s not practical for use on the internet. For streaming, web pages, web videos, and pretty much the rest of the internet, MP3 is the better choice.
It’s a compressed music file with little noticeable difference in sound quality. It loads much faster and the audio is still decent, so it has become the standard for music distribution, libraries on mobile phones, and so on.
WAV is the best choice for media that requires uncompromised audio quality, though. It has applications on TV, DVDs, radio, and such.
Simplicity
Despite their large size, WAV files are easy to process and edit. Due to this, you should be able to use editor software at any level, from beginner to pro.
An underrated application of this is looping audio. WAV files are the best for loops because they’re easy to edit in a way that you won’t notice where it starts and ends. MP3 aren’t good for this task because they have gaps before and after the audio.
How to Convert WAV to Other File Formats
It’s pretty straightforward to convert MP3 to WAV files or vice versa. Most of the time, all you need is an internet connection to convert any type of media.
Online Converters
Browser-based converters are aplenty, and they allow you to convert WAV files to other file formats, such as AAC, AIFF, WMA, M4A, and such. You can convert even more types, like AVI, MKV, MPG, WTV, and many more to WAV.
All you need to do is search for an online converter on Google or other search engines. Pick one from the search results, and then upload the file. In many cases, you can even upload a video and the converter will extract the audio track to WAV.
You only have to wait a little while for the upload and conversion to finish. Afterward, you can download the file.
Some converters have extra features. They may allow you to trim the audio, for instance, or change the sampling rate.
Program
Some programs also allow you to convert to/from WAV, and it has the added benefit of being usable offline. VLC, for example, allows you to export a WAV audio file from any video clip. You can also convert any supported audio file format.
It all starts at the Convert/Save option under the Media tab. It can get pretty complicated, so it’s not as straightforward as using an online converter.
For instance, you have to choose the Profile or create a new Profile preset, choose the bitrate and sample rate, and so on. You can convert multiple files in one go, though.
Other programs might also be able to convert to/from WAV no matter what operating system you’re using. Most of them are free, but if you want to go more in-depth, you might have to shell out money for a paid program.
Convert Your WAV Files Today
After learning what are WAV files, you should now know what to do with your audio files. Do you want to keep them as is or do you want to convert them?
If you have a GIF, we’d be glad to help you convert it to WAV. You can also check more on our page to see what other conversions you can do.