What is WAV?
A plain-English definition, and the tools that work with it.
WAV is an uncompressed, lossless audio format that stores sound at full quality. It's the standard for recording, editing and mastering because nothing is discarded, but the files are large, so you convert to MP3 for everyday listening and sharing.
- WAV is lossless and uncompressed: perfect fidelity, but big files (roughly 10× an MP3).
- Use WAV while recording and editing. Export to MP3 or AAC when you're done, for portability.
- It carries no compression artefacts, which is why studios master in WAV.
Tools for WAV
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WAV Converter
Convert any audio to uncompressed WAV in your browser, MP3, M4A, AAC, OGG, FLAC and more to a clean PCM WAV. Choose the sample rate (44.1/48 kHz…), 16- or 24-bit depth and mono/stereo, preview the waveform, then download. Nothing is uploaded.
Audio to MP3
Turn any audio file into an MP3, right in your browser. Drop a recording or track, listen to it, choose how good you want the MP3 to sound, and download. No upload, no account, nothing leaves your device.
MP3 Converter
Convert any audio to MP3 in your browser, WAV, M4A, AAC, OGG, FLAC and more to a clean, universally-playable MP3 with a bitrate you choose. Preview the waveform, encode locally with lamejs, then download. Nothing is uploaded.
Audio Compressor
Compress audio and reduce file size in your browser, lower the MP3 bitrate and sample rate to shrink a WAV, MP3, M4A, FLAC or OGG down to a fraction of its size. See the exact before/after weight, preview the waveform, then download. Nothing is uploaded.
WAV problems we solve
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Frequently asked questions
Related terms
- MP3MP3 is the most universal audio format. It uses lossy compression to shrink sound files to a fraction of their original size with little audible difference, which is why it plays on virtually every device, player and phone.
- BitrateBitrate is how much data is used per second of audio or video, measured in kbps or Mbps. A higher bitrate means more detail and a larger file. A lower bitrate means a smaller file with more compression. It's the main dial for the quality-versus-size trade-off.
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