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Format

Waveform Audio

Download XML

Summary

Name
Waveform Audio
Identifiers
  • MIME: audio/x-wav
  • Apple Uniform Type Identifier: com.microsoft.waveform-audio
  • PUID: fmt/6
Format type
Audio
Family
WAVE
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.
File extensions
wav
Source
Digital Preservation Department / The National Archives

Relationships

Has lower priority than
Has priority over
Is previous version of
Is supertype of

Internal signatures

WAVE

Note
RIFF header, WAVE ID

Byte sequences

Min Frag Length
Absolute from BOF
Offset
0
Max offset
0
Byte Sequence
52494646{4}57415645
Endianness
None

Changelog

  • Updated in V114

    Release date
    22 August 2023

    Waveform Audio: Added priority over fmt/1886. Submitted by New York Public Libraries and Preservica.

  • Updated in V88

    Release date
    27 September 2016

    Waveform Audio: Simplified signature at suggestion of National Library of New Zealand.

  • Updated in V62

    Release date
    28 August 2012

    Waveform Audio: Existing signature refined through PRONOM Research.