What Is a WAV File?

Do you know, what is a WAV file? The answer to this question has been sought by millions of computer users interested in understanding audio formats. As one of the most commonly used types of sound files, WAV is an audio medium often misunderstood. Before using and creating WAV files, it is important to know what it actually is.

Waveform Audio Format
WAV is a somewhat misleading acronym for "Waveform Audio Format." WAV files store audio data in small chunks, creating a seamless audio file from individual bits of information. The WAV format is lossless, which means that it can store sound that is a flawless representation of an original piece of audio. WAV files can be edited easily with numerous types of audio software, and a large amount of free editing software exists online.

Common WAV File Data
WAV files are ideal for storing short amounts of musical or audio data. As such, a glut of free sound effects and samples are available online. Often, these can be downloaded for free. Examples of these short bits of audio are alarm WAV files, bird sounds, screams or laughter. Sample WAV files of actual music are often available for the taking.

Drawbacks
WAV files consume a tremendous amount of hard drive space. It is not uncommon for a complete song in WAV format to occupy dozens of megabytes. Because of this, compressed MP3 files have become the format of choice for music. Since the files are so large, WAV files are relatively impractical for online transfer.

Understanding The WAV Format
Although the popularity of the WAV file has been surpassed by the MP3 format, the WAV file remains a wonderful format for storing small pieces of audio. Before utilizing the potential of a WAV file, it is important to understand how large the files can be and how they are best used.