Everything you need to know about WAV
WAV (Waveform Audio File Format, .wav) is the de facto uncompressed audio standard, jointly developed by Microsoft and IBM in 1991. Built on the RIFF container, WAV stores raw PCM audio samples - perfect fidelity at the cost of huge file sizes. It's the format you record TO and master FROM, even if you never deliver in it.
How it works under the hood
- RIFF chunks. A WAV is a 'fmt ' header chunk (sample rate, bit depth, channels) followed by a 'data' chunk containing raw samples. Simple enough to parse with 30 lines of code.
- Bit depth and sample rate. CD-quality is 16-bit/44.1kHz (~10 MB/min stereo). Studio masters are 24-bit/48kHz or 96kHz. 32-bit float is the modern in-DAW standard since it can't clip.
- 4GB limit. WAV uses 32-bit chunk sizes, capping files at ~4GB. Long recordings need RF64 (extended WAV) or BWF.
- No metadata standard. WAV's metadata support is sketchy. INFO chunks exist but aren't widely used - that's why iTunes ignores WAV tags. Use FLAC if you need reliable metadata.
Where you'll actually use it
- Audio recording, mixing, and mastering (industry standard)
- Sample libraries for music production
- Audio archival where storage isn't a concern
- Voiceover and podcast raw recording before MP3/AAC encoding
How it compares to alternatives
WAV vs FLAC: Both are lossless; FLAC compresses ~40-50% smaller and has proper metadata. WAV vs AIFF: AIFF is Apple's WAV equivalent, same audio quality, slightly different chunk structure. WAV vs MP3: Use WAV for production, MP3 for distribution.
Things that will trip you up
- Some old Windows tools won't open WAVs >2GB even though the format theoretically supports 4GB
- Floating-point WAV (32-bit float) won't play in many consumer apps - convert to 16/24-bit integer for delivery
- WAV files don't store the original recording metadata reliably - use BWF (Broadcast Wave Format) for production workflows
Test it yourself: Audacity (free editor), Adobe Audition (pro), `ffprobe sample.wav` for technical inspection. `sox` for command-line audio manipulation.