WAV File Inspector
Read sample rate, channels, bit depth and duration of a WAV file.
Overview
The WAV file inspector reads the header of a .wav audio file and reports the essential audio characteristics: sample rate, number of channels, bit depth, format (PCM, IEEE float, A-law, μ-law), data chunk size, and computed duration. It is the fastest way to confirm an audio file's specs without loading it into a DAW.
Audio engineers verifying export settings, podcasters checking incoming submissions, and developers building media pipelines reach for this when only the audio specs matter, not the waveform. Long-tail searches that lead here include "read WAV file specs online", "check WAV sample rate and bit depth", and "inspect WAV header".
How it works
The WAV format is Microsoft's container based on the RIFF (Resource Interchange File Format) specification. Every WAV file begins with a RIFF chunk header followed by the WAVE form identifier, then sub-chunks: the fmt sub-chunk carries the audio characteristics, and the data sub-chunk holds the raw sample bytes.
The inspector reads the fmt sub-chunk to extract the format code (1 = PCM, 3 = IEEE float, 6 = A-law, 7 = μ-law), number of channels, sample rate in Hz, byte rate, block align, and bits-per-sample. Duration is computed from the data sub-chunk size and the byte rate. Additional chunks (LIST info, bext broadcast metadata, cue markers) are surfaced if present.
Examples
- Confirm an export is 48 kHz / 24-bit as required for broadcast delivery.
- Spot a stereo file that should have been mono before sending it to a single-channel system.
- Check the duration of a long voice-memo
.wavwithout opening it. - Identify a non-PCM (e.g. μ-law) telephony recording.
FAQ
Does it work on RF64 or BWF files?
Standard 32-bit RIFF WAV is fully supported. The 64-bit RF64 extension is recognised, and the broadcast-wave bext chunk is surfaced when present. Files larger than 4 GB require the RF64 variant.
What if the file does not start with RIFF?
Some sources hand out files mis-labelled as .wav that are actually AIFF, MP3, or even AAC. The inspector rejects files lacking the RIFF / WAVE markers up front rather than guessing.
Does it play the audio?
No, the inspector reads only the header. Use a media player to actually listen.
Why does the reported duration sometimes differ from a player's display?
The inspector computes duration from the data chunk size. A truncated file (with an inaccurate header) or a file with an unusual byte rate may show a slightly different duration in a player that probes the actual samples.
Are multichannel surround formats supported?
Yes. The channel count is read from the fmt chunk; mono (1), stereo (2), 5.1 (6), and 7.1 (8) are all surfaced. Channel mapping is implicit in standard WAV, with a WAVEFORMATEXTENSIBLE variant for explicit speaker positions.