About WAV Files
WAV Audio
WAV is an uncompressed audio format that preserves full audio fidelity. Files are large but provide lossless, CD-quality sound. It is the standard working format in audio production and editing.
Family
Audio Files
Extension
.wav
MIME Type
audio/wav, audio/x-wav
Can Use As
HOW WAV
CAME TO BE.
WAV — Waveform Audio File Format — was introduced in 1991 as part of Windows 3.1, derived from IBM and Microsoft's RIFF container specification. It is essentially a thin wrapper around raw PCM audio: the file contains the uncompressed waveform exactly as the A/D converter captured it.
Because of that simplicity, WAV became the universal master format for audio production. A WAV file produced in a recording studio in 1992 plays bit-identically in 2026. The format has aged gracefully precisely because it does so little — no compression, no clever tricks, just samples.
CURIOSITIES &
TRIVIA.
WAV is built on the RIFF container, the same structure Microsoft used for AVI video.
A standard WAV file has a 4 GB size limit because its size field is 32-bit — RF64 and W64 variants break through that ceiling.
The first two bytes of PCM data are always the first audio sample — you can edit them in a hex editor.
WAV can carry compressed audio too (ADPCM, GSM, mu-law) but it almost never does in practice.
Recording studios deliver WAV masters at 24-bit / 96 kHz for maximum headroom.
STRENGTHS &
LIMITATIONS.
Strengths
- Bit-perfect, uncompressed audio — the professional studio standard.
- Universally supported for playback, editing, and analysis.
- No re-encoding penalty — edit and save repeatedly with zero quality loss.
- Simple internal structure — easy to parse programmatically.
- Supports up to 32-bit float and 384 kHz sample rates.
Limitations
- Enormous file sizes — 10 MB per minute for CD-quality stereo.
- 4 GB size limit for standard WAV (RF64/W64 variants extend it but break compatibility).
- No native support for cover art or rich metadata.
- Impractical for casual listening or bandwidth-constrained delivery.
Typical Sizes & Weights
Song (4 min, CD quality)
40 MB
Voice memo (1 min, 16-bit 44.1 kHz)
10 MB
Studio master (1 min, 24-bit 96 kHz)
33 MB
Field recording (1 hour, 24-bit 48 kHz)
1 GB
Technical Specifications
- MIME type
- audio/wav
- Container
- RIFF
- Typical codec
- PCM (uncompressed)
- Bit depth
- 8, 16, 24, 32 bit integer or float
- Sample rate
- Up to 384 kHz
- Max size
- 4 GB (standard WAV), unlimited (RF64 / W64)
CONVERT FROM
WAV
CONVERT TO
WAV
Common Use Cases
Audio production, music mastering, sound effects, professional editing.
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Frequently Asked Questions about WAV
Frequently Asked Questions
WAV (Waveform Audio File Format) is an uncompressed audio format co-developed by Microsoft and IBM in 1991. It stores raw PCM audio data, providing studio-quality sound at the cost of large file sizes.
WAV files play on virtually every media player and operating system including VLC, Windows Media Player, iTunes, Audacity, and all DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations) like Pro Tools and Logic Pro.
Both are lossless, but FLAC compresses audio to about 50-60% of WAV size without quality loss. Use WAV for recording and editing in a DAW. Use FLAC for archiving and distribution where smaller files matter.