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*Details: File format summary

    
 

 

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Summary
Name Waveform Audio
Version  
Other names WAVE
Identifiers MIME:  audio/x-wav
Apple Uniform Type Identifier:  com.microsoft.waveform-audio
PUID:  fmt/6
Family WAVE
Classification Audio
Disclosure Full
Description Waveform Audio (WAVE) is a chunk-based audio format developed by Microsoft, based on the generic Resource Interchange File Format (RIFF) specification developed by Microsoft and IBM. Structurally, a WAVE file is composed of a number of chunks, each comprising a four character code chunk identifier, the chunk size, and the chunk data. It comprises a RIFF header with a WAVE data type identifier, followed by a series of chunks. Every file must include a Format chunk, which describes the format of the audio data, and a Data chunk, containing the audio data itself. Other optional chunks are also allowed. The format supports a wide variety of compressed and uncompressed audio encodings.
Orientation Binary
Byte order Little-endian (Intel)
Related file formats Has lower priority than Broadcast WAVE (1 Generic)
Has lower priority than Exchangeable Image File Format (Audio) (2.1)
Has lower priority than Broadcast WAVE (0 Generic)
Has lower priority than Exchangeable Image File Format (Audio) (2.2)
Has lower priority than Exchangeable Image File Format (Audio) (2.0)
Has lower priority than Waveform Audio (PCMWAVEFORMAT)  
Has lower priority than Waveform Audio (WAVEFORMATEX)  
Has lower priority than Waveform Audio (WAVEFORMATEXTENSIBLE)  
Has lower priority than Broadcast WAVE (2 Generic)
Has lower priority than Broadcast WAVE (0 PCM Encoding)
Has lower priority than Broadcast WAVE (1 PCM Encoding)
Has lower priority than Broadcast WAVE (2 PCM Encoding)
Has lower priority than Broadcast WAVE (0 MPEG Encoding)
Has lower priority than Broadcast WAVE (1 MPEG Encoding)
Has lower priority than Broadcast WAVE (2 MPEG Encoding)
Has lower priority than Broadcast WAVE (0 WAVEFORMATEXTENSIBLE Encoding)
Has lower priority than Broadcast WAVE (1 WAVEFORMATEXTENSIBLE Encoding)
Has lower priority than Broadcast WAVE (2 WAVEFORMATEXTENSIBLE Encoding)
Has priority over Resource Interchange File Format (RIFF)  
Is previous version of Waveform Audio (WAVEFORMATEX)  
Is supertype of Waveform Audio (PCMWAVEFORMAT)  
Is supertype of Waveform Audio (WAVEFORMATEX)  
Is supertype of Waveform Audio (WAVEFORMATEXTENSIBLE)  
Technical Environment  
Released  
Supported until  
Format Risk  
Developed by None.
Supported by None.
Source Digital Preservation Department / The National Archives
Source date 11 Mar 2005
Source description 08/2023 (v.113)- Added priority over fmt/1886 (Resource Interchange Format (RIFF)). Submitted by New York Public Libraries and Preservica.
Last updated 14 Aug 2023
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