Free tools for your next audio edit
WAV file inspector. Read what’s in the file.
Choose a WAV and check its original header: sample rate, sample container, valid bits, channels, duration, and actual size. The inspector reads small header sections locally, without decoding or changing your recording.
Check your WAV
Free / localNo file selected. The report appears here after inspection.
No audio upload, account, or credits. Your selected file is read in this browser; no audio export or conversion is performed.
A file check before the next edit
Check WAV sample rate, bit depth, and channels.
- 01 / CHOOSE
Select the original WAV
Choose or drop a file. Small sections of its RIFF/WAVE header are read in this browser. The inspector does not load or decode the full recording, so a supported WAV can be larger than the AI uploader’s limit.
- 02 / READ
Inspect the stored format
Check sample rate in Hz, channel count, encoding, sample container, and declared valid bits. Duration comes from the data size and sample frame format. Nothing is resampled or re-exported.
- 03 / PLAN
Choose the next step
Compare actual file size with the upload limit. Keep the original, prepare a representative excerpt if needed, and use the report as format information rather than a score for sound quality.
A report, not a conversion
Original header values stay original.
The WAV header describes how the file stores samples. The inspector reads those fields directly instead of using a playback decoder’s output format. It reports a 44,100 Hz file as 44,100 Hz; it does not convert it to a different project rate or rewrite its bit depth.
For supported uncompressed formats, one sample frame includes one stored sample for each channel. Dividing the audio data bytes by bytes per frame gives the frame count. Dividing that count by the declared sample rate gives the data duration. This is header-based duration, without inspecting the audible beginning or end.
If a project needs a different rate, the free sample rate converter can resample supported short mono or stereo MP3/WAV to 44.1 or 48 kHz, exporting a new 16-bit PCM WAV. Use this inspector to check the output. Changing only a header field would change playback speed rather than make the same conversion.
duration seconds = data bytes ÷ bytes per frame ÷ sample rateMicrosoft’s WAVEFORMATEX reference describes channels, sample rate, byte rate, and frame alignment. The inspector checks that byte rate and frame size agree with the supported format fields.
Read the fields together
What the WAV report can tell you
| Field | Useful for | What it cannot establish |
|---|---|---|
| Sample rate | Checking the stored samples-per-second setting | The microphone’s original capture rate or a successful separation |
| Channels | Distinguishing mono, stereo, and multichannel storage | How many people, instruments, or independent stems are inside |
| Encoding and container bits | Identifying integer PCM or float storage | A quality score or proof that lost detail has been restored |
| Valid bits | Reading a declared extensible sample precision | The effective precision of the original recording |
| Duration and sample frames | Checking the declared audio data length | Lip sync, musical timing, or whether sample content is undamaged |
| Actual file size | Comparing the whole selected file with a byte limit | A guarantee of codec support by another service |
Container size and valid bits
Two bit counts can both be correct.
An extensible PCM file can use a 32-bit container with 24 valid bits. Storage calculations use all four bytes per channel per frame. The report keeps these fields separate. If the extensible valid-bit field is zero, it is shown as not specified; basic float headers also have no separate valid-bit declaration.
Microsoft’s extensible format reference explains that distinction. Read the encoding alongside the bit count: floating-point storage is different from integer PCM. A large number in either field does not certify the quality or history of the audio.
What the inspector supports
Common uncompressed WAV, with explicit limits.
Use little-endian RIFF/WAVE with one direct data chunk. The inspector supports 8-, 16-, 24-, and 32-bit integer PCM, 32- and 64-bit IEEE float, and supported extensible variants. It handles metadata chunks and their padding without treating their bytes as audio samples.
It rejects incomplete layouts, inconsistent byte rates, incomplete sample frames, duplicate format or data chunks, unsupported compression or subtypes, and segmented audio. RF64, BW64, big-endian RIFX, and files with more than 1,024 chunks need another inspection method. An unsupported result does not mean the recording is worthless; inspect it in your audio editor and retain the original.
Reading the headers cannot verify every sample, predict playback compatibility, measure clipping or loudness, determine an MP3 source’s history, or certify an AI result. No audio repair, separation, or export occurs here.
From information to preparation
Make the report useful for your project.
Use the audio file size calculator to plan a new PCM export, then compare its estimate with the real file size. Extra metadata and header layouts can explain a difference. The inspector includes every byte of the selected file in the size verdict.
The free trimmer prepares supported short mono or stereo MP3/WAV excerpts. The channel splitter extracts existing stereo sides. Both export their own 48 kHz, 16-bit WAVs; they do not preserve every source format field.
For a field-by-field walkthrough and worked examples, read how to check WAV sample rate and bit depth. Keep listening to the original and evaluate any processed audio in its intended edit.
A few useful answers
WAV file inspector questions
How do I check the sample rate and bit depth of a WAV?
Choose a supported WAV in the inspector. The header report shows sample rate in Hz, sample container size in bits, encoding, channels, and declared valid bits. These describe the file’s stored format; they do not prove how the original recording was captured or how it sounds.
Is the WAV inspector free, and is my audio uploaded?
It is free and requires no account or credits. The selected file is read locally in this browser. No audio is uploaded, decoded, played, converted, or exported by the inspector. The separate AI isolation service has its own account and download-credit flow.
Which WAV formats can it inspect?
It supports little-endian RIFF/WAVE with one direct audio data chunk: 8-, 16-, 24-, or 32-bit integer PCM and 32- or 64-bit IEEE float, including supported extensible headers. Compressed WAV codecs, RF64, BW64, big-endian RIFX, segmented audio, and files with more than 1,024 chunks are not supported.
Can I inspect a WAV larger than 50 MiB?
Yes. This tool reads header sections rather than loading the whole audio payload. The report compares the actual file size with Saturalabs’ separate 50 MiB upload limit. A size verdict does not guarantee codec support, playback, or a successful AI separation.
Why are valid bits and container bits different?
An extensible integer PCM header can declare fewer valid bits than the sample container holds, such as 24 valid bits in a 32-bit container. Storage size uses the container width. The declared valid-bit count still does not establish the recording’s effective quality.
Can this tell whether a WAV was converted from MP3?
No. A WAV header describes its current storage format and does not reliably establish the source’s history. A 24-bit or high-sample-rate WAV can still contain audio originally decoded from a lossy file. Keep the best source and its provenance rather than treating header settings as a quality score.
After preparing your audio