View source for WAV

{{short description|File format standard for storing audio on PCs}}
{{distinguish|WavPack}}
{{redirect|Wav|the scientific wave|Wave|the waves of water|Wind wave|other uses}}
{{redirect|Wave Sound|the festival|Wave Sound (festival)}}

{{Infobox file format
| name = Waveform Audio File Format (WAVE/WAV)
| icon = 
| logo                   = 
| screenshot             = 
| caption                = 
| extension              = .wav .wave
| mime                   = audio/vnd.wave,<ref>{{cite IETF |rfc=2361 |title=WAVE and AVI Codec Registries |first=E. |last=Fleischman |publisher=IETF |date=June 1998 |doi=10.17487/RFC2361 |access-date=2009-12-06}}</ref> audio/wav, audio/wave, audio/x-wav<ref>{{cite news|url=https://filext.com/file-extension/WAV |title=File Extension .WAV Details |publisher=Filext.com |access-date=2015-08-10}}</ref>
| type code              = WAVE
| uniform type           = com.microsoft.waveform-audio
| magic                  = 
| owner                  = [[IBM]] and [[Microsoft]]
| released               = {{Start date and age|1991|08|df=yes}}<ref name="MPI1">{{cite web |url=https://www.aelius.com/njh/wavemetatools/doc/riffmci.pdf |title=Multimedia Programming Interface and Data Specifications 1.0 |author1=IBM |author2=Microsoft |date=August 1991 |access-date=2020-12-26}}</ref><!-- {{Start date|YYYY|mm|dd|df=yes}} -->
| latest release version = Multiple Channel Audio Data and WAVE Files
| latest release date    = {{Start date and age|2007|03|07|df=yes}} (update)<ref name="wav-specifications">{{cite web |url=https://www.mmsp.ece.mcgill.ca/Documents/AudioFormats/WAVE/WAVE.html |title=Audio File Format Specifications - WAVE or RIFF WAVE sound file |publisher=McGill University |author=P. Kabal |date=2006-06-19 |access-date=2010-03-16}}</ref><ref name="multichaud">{{cite web |url=https://www.microsoft.com/whdc/device/audio/multichaud.mspx |title=Multiple Channel Audio Data and WAVE Files |publisher=Microsoft Corporation |date=2007-03-07 |access-date=2010-03-16|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100302142644/https://www.microsoft.com/whdc/device/audio/multichaud.mspx|archive-date=2010-03-02}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=January 2025}}
| genre                  = [[Audio file format]], [[container format]]
| container for          = 
| contained by           = 
| extended from          = [[Resource Interchange File Format|RIFF]]
| extended to            = [[Broadcast Wave Format|BWF]], [[RF64]]
| standard               = 
| free                   = 
| url                    = 
}}

'''Waveform Audio File Format''' ('''WAVE''', or '''WAV''' due to its [[filename extension]];<ref name="MPI1" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.loc.gov/preservation/digital/formats/fdd/fdd000001.shtml |title=WAVE Audio File Format |website=[[Library of Congress]] |date=2008-09-12 |access-date=2023-12-03}}</ref><ref>{{cite IETF |draft=draft-ema-vpim-wav-00 |title=Waveform Audio File Format, MIME Sub-type Registration |first1=Laile L. |last1=Di Silvestro |first2=Greg |last2=Baribault |publisher=IETF |date=June 20, 1999 |access-date=2009-12-06}}</ref> pronounced {{IPAc-en|w|æ|v|}} or {{IPAc-en|w|eɪ|v|}} <ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/wav_file|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180207062953/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/wav_file|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 7, 2018|title=Definition of WAV file in English|work=Oxford English Living Dictionary}}</ref>) is an [[audio file format]] standard for storing an audio [[bitstream]] on [[personal computer]]s. The format was developed and published for the first time in 1991 by [[IBM]] and [[Microsoft]]. It is the main format used on [[Microsoft Windows]] systems for [[uncompressed audio]]. The usual bitstream encoding is the [[linear pulse-code modulation]] (LPCM) format.

WAV is an application of the [[Resource Interchange File Format]] (RIFF) [[bitstream format]] method for storing data in ''chunks'', and thus is similar to the [[8SVX]] and the [[Audio Interchange File Format]] (AIFF) format used on [[Amiga]] and [[Macintosh]] computers, respectively.

== Description ==
[[File:AudacityWAV.png|thumb|Icon of a WAV file associated to [[Audacity (audio editor)|Audacity]]]]
The WAV file is an instance of a [[Resource Interchange File Format]] (RIFF) defined by [[IBM]] and [[Microsoft]].<ref name="MPI1" /> The RIFF format acts as a ''wrapper'' for various [[audio coding format]]s.

Though a WAV file can contain [[audio data compression|compressed]] audio, the most common WAV audio format is uncompressed audio in the [[linear pulse-code modulation]] (LPCM) format. LPCM is also the standard audio coding format for [[audio CD]]s, which store two-channel LPCM audio [[Sampling (signal processing)|sampled]] at [[44.1&nbsp;kHz]] with 16 [[Audio bit depth|bits per sample]]. Since LPCM is uncompressed and retains all of the samples of an audio track, professional users or audio experts may use the WAV format with LPCM audio for maximum audio quality.<ref name="Ryan">{{cite web|last1=Branson|first1=Ryan |title=What Makes WAV Better than MP3 |url=https://videoconversiontools.wordpress.com/2015/10/21/what-makes-wav-better-than-mp3/ |website=Online Video Converter |date=21 October 2015 |access-date=18 June 2016}}</ref> WAV files can also be edited and manipulated with relative ease using software.

On Microsoft Windows, the WAV format supports compressed audio using the [[Audio Compression Manager]] (ACM). Any ACM [[codec]] can be used to compress a WAV file. The [[user interface]] (UI) for ACM may be accessed through various programs that use it, including [[Sound Recorder (Windows)|Sound Recorder]] in some versions of Windows.

Beginning with [[Windows 2000]], a <code>WAVE_FORMAT_EXTENSIBLE</code> header was defined which specifies [[surround sound|multiple audio channel data]] along with speaker positions, eliminates ambiguity regarding sample types and container sizes in the standard WAV format and supports defining custom extensions to the format.<ref name="wav-specifications" /><ref name="multichaud" /><ref name="mbwf">{{citation |url=https://tech.ebu.ch/docs/tech/tech3306-2009.pdf |title=EBU Tech 3306 - MBWF / RF64: An Extended File Format for Audio |date=July 2009 |author=EBU |access-date=2010-01-19 |archive-date=2009-11-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091122155436/https://tech.ebu.ch/docs/tech/tech3306-2009.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==File specifications==

===RIFF===
A RIFF file is a tagged file format. It has a specific container format (a ''chunk'') with a header that includes a four-character tag ([[FourCC]]) and the size (number of bytes) of the chunk. The tag specifies how the data within the chunk should be interpreted, and there are several standard FourCC tags. Tags consisting of all capital letters are reserved tags. The outermost chunk of a RIFF file has a <code>RIFF</code> tag; the first four bytes of chunk data are an additional FourCC tag that specify the form type and are followed by a sequence of subchunks. In the case of a WAV file, the additional tag is <code>WAVE</code>. The remainder of the RIFF data is a sequence of chunks describing the audio information.

The advantage of a tagged file format is that the format can be extended later while maintaining [[backward compatibility]].<ref>{{Harvnb|IBM|Microsoft|1991|p=1{{hyphen}}1}}<!--HYPEN PAGE - not a page range -->, "The main advantage of RIFF is its extensibility; file formats based on RIFF can be future-proofed, as format changes can be ignored by existing applications."</ref> The rule for a RIFF (or WAV) reader is that it should ignore any tagged chunk that it does not recognize.<ref>{{Harvnb|IBM|Microsoft|1991|loc=PDF p. 56}}, "Programs must expect (and ignore) any unknown chunks encountered, as with all RIFF forms."</ref> The reader will not be able to use the new information, but the reader should not be confused.

The specification for RIFF files includes the definition of an <code>INFO</code> chunk. The chunk may include information such as the title of the work, the author, the creation date, and copyright information. Although the <code>INFO</code> chunk was defined for RIFF in version 1.0, the chunk was not referenced in the formal specification of a WAV file. Many readers had trouble processing this. Consequently, the safest thing to do from an interchange standpoint was to omit the <code>INFO</code> chunk and other extensions and send a lowest-common-denominator file. There are other [[Resource Interchange File Format#INFO chunk placement problems|INFO chunk placement problems]].

RIFF files were expected to be used in international environments, so there is <code>CSET</code> chunk to specify the country code, language, dialect, and [[code page]] for the strings in a RIFF file.<ref>{{Harvnb|IBM|Microsoft|1991|pp=2{{hyphen}}17 to 2{{hyphen}}18}}</ref> For example, specifying an appropriate <code>CSET</code> chunk should allow the strings in an <code>INFO</code> chunk (and other chunks throughout the RIFF file) to be interpreted as Cyrillic or Japanese characters.

RIFF also defines a <code>JUNK</code> chunk whose contents are uninteresting.<ref>{{Harvnb|IBM|Microsoft|1991|p=2{{hyphen}}18}}</ref>  The chunk allows a chunk to be deleted by just changing its FourCC. The chunk could also be used to reserve some space for future edits so the file could be modified without being resized. A later definition of RIFF introduced a similar <code>PAD</code> chunk.<ref>Microsoft Multimedia Standards Update, New Multimedia Data Types and Data Techniques, Revision 3.0, April 15, 1994, page 6.</ref>

===RIFF WAVE===
The top-level definition of a WAV file is:<ref>{{Harvnb|IBM|Microsoft|1991|loc=PDF p. 56}}</ref>
<pre><WAVE-form> → RIFF('WAVE'
                   <fmt-ck>            // Format of the file
                   [<fact-ck>]         // Fact chunk
                   [<cue-ck>]          // Cue points
                   [<playlist-ck>]     // Playlist
                   [<assoc-data-list>] // Associated data list
                   <wave-data> )       // Wave data
</pre>
The top-level RIFF form uses a <code>WAVE</code> tag. It is followed by a mandatory <code><nowiki><fmt-ck></nowiki></code> chunk that describes the format of the sample data that follows. This chunk includes information such as the sample encoding, number of bits per channel, the number of channels, and the sample rate. 

The WAV specification includes some optional features. The optional <code><nowiki><fact-ck></nowiki></code> chunk reports the number of samples for some compressed coding schemes. The <code><nowiki><cue-ck></nowiki></code> chunk identifies some significant sample numbers in the wave file. The <code><nowiki><playlist-ck></nowiki></code> chunk allows the samples to be played out of order or repeated rather than just from beginning to end.  The associated data list (<code><nowiki><assoc-data-list></nowiki></code>) allows labels and notes to be attached to cue points; text annotation may be given for a group of samples (e.g., caption information).  

Finally, the mandatory <code><nowiki><wave-data></nowiki></code> chunk contains the actual samples in the format previously specified.

Note that the WAV file definition does not show where an <code>INFO</code> chunk should be placed. It is also silent about the placement of a <code>CSET</code> chunk (which specifies the character set used).

The RIFF specification attempts to be a formal specification, but its formalism lacks the precision seen in other tagged formats. For example, the RIFF specification does not clearly distinguish between a set of subchunks and an ordered sequence of subchunks.<!-- Compare ASN SET-OF and SEQUENCE-OF --> The RIFF form chunk suggests it should be a sequence container. Sequencing information is specified in the RIFF form of a WAV file consistent with the formalism: "However, <code><nowiki><fmt-ck></nowiki></code> must always occur before <code><nowiki><wave-data></nowiki></code>, and both of these chunks are mandatory in a WAVE file."<ref>{{Harvnb|IBM|Microsoft|1991|loc=PDF p. 56}}</ref> The specification suggests a <code>LIST</code> chunk is also a sequence: "A LIST chunk contains a list, or ordered sequence, of subchunks."<ref>{{Harvnb|IBM|Microsoft|1991|loc=PDF p. 23}}</ref> However, the specification does not give a formal specification of the <code>INFO</code> chunk; an example <code>INFO</code> <code>LIST</code> chunk ignores the chunk sequence implied in the <code>INFO</code> description.<ref>{{Harvnb|IBM|Microsoft|1991|loc=PDF p. 21}}, <code>INAM</code> appears before <code>ICOP</code></ref> The <code>LIST</code> chunk definition for <code><nowiki><wave-data></nowiki></code> does use the <code>LIST</code> chunk as a sequence container with good formal semantics.

The WAV specification supports, and most WAV files use, a single contiguous array of audio samples. The specification also supports discrete blocks of samples and silence that are played in order. The specification for the sample data contains apparent errors:<ref>Specification from {{Harvnb|IBM|Microsoft|1991}} which also describes how the production syntax is interpreted.</ref>
<pre>The <wave-data> contains the waveform data. It is defined as follows:
  <wave-data>  → { <data-ck> | <data-list> }
  <data-ck>    → data( <wave-data> )
  <wave-list>  → LIST( 'wavl' { <data-ck> | // Wave samples
                                <silence-ck> }... ) // Silence
  <silence-ck> → slnt( <dwSamples:DWORD> ) // Count of silent samples
</pre>
Apparently <code><nowiki><data-list></nowiki></code> (undefined) and <code><nowiki><wave-list></nowiki></code> (defined but not referenced) should be identical. Even with this resolved, the productions then allow a <code><nowiki><data-ck></nowiki></code> to contain a [[Recursion (computer science)|recursive]] <code><nowiki><wave-data></nowiki></code> (which implies data interpretation problems). To avoid the recursion, the specification can be interpreted as:
<pre><wave-data>  → { <data-ck> | <wave-list> }
  <data-ck>    → data( <bSampleData:BYTE> ... )
  <wave-list>  → LIST( 'wavl' { <data-ck> | // Wave samples
                                <silence-ck> }... ) // Silence
  <silence-ck> → slnt( <dwSamples:DWORD> ) // Count of silent samples
</pre>

WAV files can contain embedded IFF ''lists'', which can contain several ''sub-chunks''.<ref>{{cite web |date=1999-11-15 |title=WAVE File Format |url=https://www.borg.com/~jglatt/tech/wave.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991115123323/https://www.borg.com/~jglatt/tech/wave.htm |archive-date=1999-11-15 |access-date=2010-03-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://ccrma.stanford.edu/courses/422/projects/WaveFormat/ |title=WAVE PCM soundfile format |date=2003-01-20 |access-date=2010-03-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090827003349/https://ccrma.stanford.edu/courses/422/projects/WaveFormat/ |archive-date=2009-08-27 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.lightlink.com/tjweber/StripWav/WAVE.html |title=The WAVE File Format  |access-date=2010-03-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722003211/https://www.lightlink.com/tjweber/StripWav/WAVE.html |archive-date=2011-07-22 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== WAV file header ===

This is an example of a WAV file header (44 bytes). Data is stored in little-endian byte order.

 [Master RIFF chunk]
    FileTypeBlocID  (4 bytes) : Identifier « RIFF »  (0x52, 0x49, 0x46, 0x46)
    FileSize        (4 bytes) : Overall file size minus 8 bytes
    FileFormatID    (4 bytes) : Format = « WAVE »  (0x57, 0x41, 0x56, 0x45)
 
 [Chunk describing the data format]
    FormatBlocID    (4 bytes) : Identifier « fmt␣ »  (0x66, 0x6D, 0x74, 0x20)
    BlocSize        (4 bytes) : Chunk size minus 8 bytes, which is 16 bytes here  (0x10)
    AudioFormat     (2 bytes) : Audio format (1: PCM integer, 3: IEEE 754 float)
    NbrChannels     (2 bytes) : Number of channels
    Frequency       (4 bytes) : Sample rate (in hertz)
    BytePerSec      (4 bytes) : Number of bytes to read per second (Frequency * BytePerBloc).
    BytePerBloc     (2 bytes) : Number of bytes per block (NbrChannels * BitsPerSample / 8).
    BitsPerSample   (2 bytes) : Number of bits per sample
 
 [Chunk containing the sampled data]
    DataBlocID      (4 bytes) : Identifier « data »  (0x64, 0x61, 0x74, 0x61)
    DataSize        (4 bytes) : SampledData size
    SampledData

==Metadata==
As a derivative of RIFF, WAV files can be tagged with [[metadata]] in the INFO chunk. In addition, WAV files can embed any kind of metadata, including but not limited to [[Extensible Metadata Platform]] (XMP) data<ref>{{cite book |title=XMP SPECIFICATION PART 3: STORAGE IN FILES |date=2016 |publisher=Adobe Systems Incorporated |pages=24–25 |url=https://wwwimages2.adobe.com/content/dam/acom/en/devnet/xmp/pdfs/XMP%20SDK%20Release%20cc-2016-08/XMPSpecificationPart3.pdf |access-date=8 January 2020 |archive-date=25 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180225154501/https://wwwimages2.adobe.com/content/dam/acom/en/devnet/xmp/pdfs/XMP%20SDK%20Release%20cc-2016-08/XMPSpecificationPart3.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> or [[ID3]] tags<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wiki.audacityteam.org/wiki/WAV#Metadata |title=WAV |publisher=Audacity |access-date=2020-01-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201106232733/https://wiki.audacityteam.org/wiki/WAV#Metadata |archive-date=2020-11-06 |url-status=dead}}</ref> in extra chunks. The RIFF specification requires that applications ignore chunks they do not recognize and applications may not necessarily use this extra information.

== Popularity ==
Uncompressed WAV files are large, so [[file sharing]] of WAV files over the [[Internet]] is uncommon except among video, music and audio professionals. The high resolution of the format makes it suitable for retaining [[Generation loss|first generation]] archived files of high quality, for use on a system where disk space and network bandwidth are not constraints.

===Use by broadcasters===
{{Unreferenced section|date=April 2024}}
In spite of their large size, uncompressed WAV files are used by most radio broadcasters, especially those that have adopted a tapeless system.

* [[BBC Radio]] in the UK requires LPCM 48&nbsp;kHz 16-bit WAV audio as standard for all content made for broadcast on its stations.<ref>{{cite web |title=Audio Quality Information & Standards for BBC Radio and BBC Sounds |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/radio/documents/technicalspecificationradiojuly2022_v01.7.pdf |website=BBC |publisher=BBC Design & Engineering |access-date=28 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240528163326/https://www.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/radio/documents/technicalspecificationradiojuly2022_v01.7.pdf |archive-date=28 May 2024 |pages=8 |language=English |date=28 March 2022}}</ref>
* The UK Commercial radio company [[Global Radio]] uses 44.1&nbsp;kHz 16-bit two-channel WAV files throughout their broadcast chain.
* The [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation|ABC]] "D-Cart" system, which was developed by the Australian broadcaster, uses 48&nbsp;kHz 16-bit two-channel WAV files.
* The Digital Radio Mondiale consortium uses WAV files as an informal standard for transmitter simulation and receiver testing.

== Limitations ==
The WAV format is limited to files that are less than {{val|4|ul=GiB}}, because of its use of a [[32-bit]] [[unsigned integer]] to record the file size in the header. Although this is equivalent to about 6.8 hours of CD-quality audio at 44.1&nbsp;kHz, 16-bit [[stereo]], it is sometimes necessary to exceed this limit, especially when greater [[sampling rate]]s, [[Audio bit depth|bit resolutions]] or [[Surround sound|channel count]] are required. The W64 format was therefore created for use in [[Sound Forge]]. Its [[64-bit]] file size field in the header allows for much longer recording times. The [[RF64]] format specified by the [[European Broadcasting Union]] has also been created to solve this problem.

== Non-audio data ==
Since the sampling rate of a WAV file can vary from {{val|1|ul=Hz}} to {{val|4.3|ul=GHz}}, and the number of channels can be as high as 65535, WAV files have also been used for non-audio data.  [[LTspice]], for instance, can store multiple circuit trace [[waveform]]s in separate channels, at any appropriate sampling rate, with the full-scale range representing ±1&nbsp;[[volt|V]] or [[ampere|A]] rather than a sound pressure.<ref>{{cite web |date=2009 |title=LTspice IV |url=https://ltspice.linear.com/software/scad3.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120227091041/https://ltspice.linear.com/software/scad3.pdf |archive-date=2012-02-27 |access-date=2015-09-04 |publisher=Linear Technologies Corporation |page=95}}</ref>

== Audio compact discs ==
Audio [[compact disc]]s (CDs) do not use the WAV file format, instead using [[Red Book (audio CD standard)|Red Book audio]]. The commonality is that audio CDs are encoded as uncompressed 16-bit [[44.1 kHz]] stereo LPCM, which is one of the formats supported by WAV.

==Comparison of coding schemes==
{{Main article|Audio compression (data)|Comparison of audio coding formats}}

Audio in WAV files can be encoded in a variety of audio coding formats, such as [[GSM]] or [[MP3]], to reduce the file size. All WAV files, even those that use [[MP3]] compression, use the <code>.wav</code> extension.

This is a reference to compare the [[monophonic]] (not [[stereophonic]]) audio quality and compression bitrates of audio coding formats available for WAV files including LPCM, [[ADPCM]], Microsoft [[GSM 06.10]], [[CELP]], [[Smart Bitrate Control|SBC]], [[Truespeech]] and [[MPEG]] Layer-3. These are the default ACM codecs that come with Windows.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Format
! Bitrate ([[kbit/s]])
! 1 minute ([[KiB]])
|-
| 11,025&nbsp;Hz 16&nbsp;bit LPCM
| 176.4
| 1292
|-
| <span style="display:none">0</span>8,000&nbsp;Hz 16&nbsp;bit LPCM
| 128
| <span style="display:none">0</span>938
|-
| 11,025&nbsp;Hz 8&nbsp;bit LPCM
| <span style="display:none">0</span>88.2
| <span style="display:none">0</span>646
|-
| 11,025&nbsp;Hz [[μ-Law]]
| <span style="display:none">0</span>88.2
| <span style="display:none">0</span>646
|-
| <span style="display:none">0</span>8,000&nbsp;Hz 8&nbsp;bit LPCM
| <span style="display:none">0</span>64
| <span style="display:none">0</span>469
|-
| <span style="display:none">0</span>8,000&nbsp;Hz μ-Law
| <span style="display:none">0</span>64
| <span style="display:none">0</span>469
|-
| 11,025&nbsp;Hz 4&nbsp;bit ADPCM
| <span style="display:none">0</span>44.1
| <span style="display:none">0</span>323
|-
| <span style="display:none">0</span>8,000&nbsp;Hz 4&nbsp;bit ADPCM
| <span style="display:none">0</span>32
| <span style="display:none">0</span>234
|-
| 11,025&nbsp;Hz GSM 06.10
| <span style="display:none">0</span>18
| <span style="display:none">0</span>132
|-
| <span style="display:none">0</span>8,000&nbsp;Hz MP3 {{nowrap|16 kbit/s}}
| <span style="display:none">0</span>16
| <span style="display:none">0</span>117
|-
| <span style="display:none">0</span>8,000&nbsp;Hz GSM 06.10
| <span style="display:none">0</span>13
| <span style="display:none">0</span>103
|-
| <span style="display:none">0</span>8,000&nbsp;Hz [[Lernout & Hauspie]] SBC {{nowrap|12 kbit/s}}
| <span style="display:none">0</span>12
| <span style="display:none">00</span>88
|-
| <span style="display:none">0</span>8,000&nbsp;Hz [[DSP Group]] [[Truespeech]]
| <span style="display:none">00</span>9
| <span style="display:none">00</span>66
|-
| <span style="display:none">0</span>8,000&nbsp;Hz MP3 {{nowrap|8 kbit/s}}
| <span style="display:none">00</span>8
| <span style="display:none">00</span>60
|-
| <span style="display:none">0</span>8,000&nbsp;Hz Lernout & Hauspie [[CELP]]
| <span style="display:none">00</span>4.8
| <span style="display:none">00</span>35
|}

== See also ==
* [[Windows Media Audio]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Waveform audio format}}
* [https://www.mmsp.ece.mcgill.ca/Documents/AudioFormats/WAVE/WAVE.html WAVE file format specifications] - from McGill University, (Last update: 2011-01-03)
* [https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/audio/extensible-wave-format-descriptors Extensible Wave-Format Descriptors] from Microsoft (Updated October 26, 2017)
* [https://dream.cs.bath.ac.uk/researchdev/wave-ex/wave_ex.html More information on WAVE_FORMAT_EXTENSIBLE] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240303144435/https://dream.cs.bath.ac.uk/researchdev/wave-ex/wave_ex.html |date=2024-03-03 }} - University of Bath
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080113195252/https://www.borg.com/~jglatt/tech/wave.htm WAVE File Format - technical details] (1999)
* [https://wavmetadata.blogspot.com WAV & BWF Metadata Guide]
* [https://www.cipa.jp/std/documents/e/DC-008-2012_E.pdf Exif tags]; see, for example, page 128

{{Compression formats}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wav}}
[[Category:Audio file formats]]
[[Category:Digital container formats]]
[[Category:Computer-related introductions in 1991]]
[[Category:Microsoft Windows multimedia technology]]