AIFF or WAV? Difference?

[JonnyGinese]

hey.. Is there a difference between the 2? like Size, sound, headroom. blah blah.. I've been using AIFF and can't tell a difference from when i used to use WAV... but I'm just wondering. Thanks.

Jonny

[Chris Cavell]

Is there a difference between the 2? like Size, sound, headroom.

No. However, the bwf wav format is more universally compatible, and has the ability to contain information such as timestamps and region definitions.

[PRS4LIFE]

i could of swore i heard or read somwhere that AIFF was just macs version of a WAV. but i know a guy that works at a mac store and he said that AIFF files were better sounding files then a WAV.

[Rail Jon Rogut]

Yeah.. listen to that guy... I'm sure he had to spend at least four years in college to sell gear and spew misinformation

Rail

[Park Seward]

i could of swore i heard or read somwhere that AIFF was just macs version of a WAV. but i know a guy that works at a mac store and he said that AIFF files were better sounding files then a WAV.

The difference is in the order of the bytes. There is NO difference in sound quality. Both are uncompressed. Most are using BWF because of the ability to go beyond 48k and timestamping.

[JonnyGinese]

so AIFF doesn't go beyond 48k?

[Rail Jon Rogut]

Yes it does. The timestamps that Pro Tools uses in AIFF files can only be read by Pro Tools (and my apps) though.

Rail

[sirspliffrichard]

aiff being mac's version of wav.... that's a good one
as far as I know audio cd's are actually in aiff format.
I never noticed any differences in usability working with both of them.
Have found out that some customers prefer working with aiffs.
especially ones that need sound for websites etc.
ask your client which way he/she wants it.
don't make no difference i guess, cause you can convert them after recording anyway.
if you're just recording for your own pleasure it shouldn't really matter which one you choose.
both work well.

if anyone got deeper info on the subject, let me know.
have a good session anyway

m

[fredsparky]

Hey Rail. What do you record with and why? thanks much!

Mike

[Rail Jon Rogut]

I use WAV because they're the most cross platform friendly.

WAV files (in Pro Tools) are PCM data files stored with their byte order optimised for the Intel processor.

AIFF files are PCM data files stored with their byte order optimised for the Motorola processor.

Other than the byte order being reversed... the data is identical and the bytes order can be reversed without any sonic degradation.

The BWF (WAV) file includes a 'bext' chunk which is supported by most apps. The timestamp info stored inside the AIFF file is proprietary to Pro Tools.

Red Book Audio CD's use PCM 16 bit 44.kHz audio -- neither WAV nor AIFF specifically.

Rail