03.02 Convert to WAV File

When converting an AAC, M4A, mp3 or other lossy sound file to a WAV the quality of the sound does not improve and damaged sound information is not restored. So why convert to WAV? Converting to WAV prevents any further lossy compress and likely improves the editing compatibility of the sound file. Library of Congress recommends WAV files for archiving and preserving sounds.

Sample rate is how often the frequency of a sound is measured or sampled by the recording device, similar to the framerate of a video. a 48 kHz sample rate is plenty for human hearing and preserving audio.

Bit Depth is how precisely the amplitude or volume to the waveform is represented. This is similar to resolution in 2D images. Higher resolution can capture more detail in a photograph if the lens can resolve it but it is wasted storage space if that pixel detail is not present. The same is true for bit depth in audio recordings, increasing the bit depth does not add more detail, it merely allows it to be same in the file. A 24 bit recording is a good compromise between detail and file size.