WAV/AIFF Files

Music Tech || MT CA2 - The Digital Audio Workstation

What is the difference between compressed audio formats and uncompressed audio formats?

• Compressed audio formats: have information removed to reduce file size.

• Uncompressed audio formats: have no information removed.

What are WAV/AIFF files?

• They are one of the simplest digital audio file formats.

• Microsoft developed WAV in 1991 for use within Windows 3.1.

• Apple developed its own version of WAV in 1988 called AIFF (audio interchanges file format).

• WAV and AIFF files are known as uncompressed file formats.

How do WAV files work?

• They take an audio signal and converting it to binary data.

• Your computer takes snapshots of the signal thousands of times per second.

  • CD quality audio records at 44.1kHz.

  • This means that it records 44,100 snapshots per second.

• This makes it capable of recording the entire audio frequency range of 20Hz-20kHz (also known as Nyquist Theorem).

What are the benefits of WAV files?

• It is an uncompressed format - so a lossless format, allowing accurate reproduction without losing quality.

• It is a very simple format - so relatively easy to process and edit, meaning it is easy to get a wide range of editing software at all levels.

• It is the industry standard for pro audio - songs can be downloaded in this format, and it is the standard for audio production.

What are the negatives of a WAV file?

• Large file size - 44.1kHz 16B – 10MB per minute (so a three minute song = app 30MB.

• Impractical for portable devices and streaming.

• Long upload times.

• Cannot share via email (because file size too large).

What should you do when exporting a WAV/AIFF file?

• When exporting to an uncompressed file format you should:

  • Keep the:

    • Bit depth.

    • Sample rate.

  • At the same level that you recorded the project at.