View source for WAV

'''Waveform Audio File Format''' is an audio format with a {{code|.wav}} file extension, used by all of Valve's engines. It is required for [[Faceposer|lipsynced dialogue]] and [[Looping a Sound|looped sounds]] without a custom audio backend.

{{gldsrc|4}} supports uncompressed 8-bit or 16-bit PCM, although lip-synched audio must be 8-bit. It supports sample rates of 11025 Hz or 22050 Hz; other sample rates can sometimes be used, but they will be resampled to 22050 Hz before playback, without any interpolation.

{{src|4}} supports uncompressed 8-bit and 16-bit PCM, as well as [[compression|compressed]] 4-bit Microsoft ADPCM (not IMA). It supports sample rates at 11025 Hz, 22050 Hz, and 44100 Hz; files at other sample rates, such as 32000 Hz and 48000 Hz, will not play.

{{note|Custom audio backends, such as [https://pastebin.com/L5BTxMVW MetaAudio] or [[FMOD]] can extend the range of supported sample rates and bit depths.}}
{{ModernConfirm|What about {{src2|4}}? It definitely supports 16-bit 44.1 KHz WAVs (mono and stereo), but does it support the other formats that {{src}} and {{gldsrc}} support?<br>It supposedly supports arbitrary sample rates for MP3s; is this the case for WAVs as well?}}

{{bug|Files using the extended [[Wikipedia:Broadcast Wave Format|Broadcast Wave Format (BWF)]] have weird behavior in Source, and should be converted to regular WAV using FFmpeg or Audacity before use in-game. Some audio editors export as BWF automatically, such as Pro Tools and Logic Pro, and do not provide an option to export a standard WAV.}}
{{warning|Although the WAV format specifications permit up to 32 channels in a single file, and {{src}} supports surround sound, {{src}} does '''''not''''' support WAV files with more than 2 channels!}}

== Bit rates ==
WAV files have a consistent bitrate depending upon their sample rate, bit depth, and channel count. The following tables indicate what bitrates files will be at supported sample rates.

{{tip|'''<nowiki>Bitrate = Sample Rate * Bit Depth * Channel Count</nowiki>'''}}
'''Mono sounds (1 channel)'''
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Sample Rate
! 16-bit PCM !! 8-bit PCM !! 4-bit ADPCM
! Quality
|-
! 11025 Hz
| 176.4 kbps || 88.2 kbps || 44.1 kbps
| AM radio; used by most {{hl1}} sound effects
|-
! 22050 Hz
| 352.8 kbps || 176.4 kbps || 88.2 kbps
| Max sample rate of {{gldsrc}} sound effects
|-
! 44100 Hz
| 705.6 kbps || 352.8 kbps || 176.4 kbps
| CD quality
|-
|}

'''Stereo sounds (2 channels) {{gldsrc|not}}'''
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Sample Rate
! 16-bit PCM !! 8-bit PCM !! 4-bit ADPCM
! Quality
|-
! 11025 Hz
| 352.8 kbps || 176.4 kbps || 88.2 kbps
| AM radio
|-
! 22050 Hz
| 705.6 kbps || 352.8 kbps || 176.4 kbps
| 
|-
! 44100 Hz
| 1411.2 kbps || 705.6 kbps || 352.8 kbps
| CD quality
|-
|}

Some games (particularly third-party ones) may support additional sample rates and bit depths, but the above sample rates are supported by all {{src|1}} games.
{{tip|{{only|{{src}}{{src2}}}} If lower file sizes are desired, [[MP3]] files can also be used in some situations; see [[Compression (Source 1)#Audio Compression]] for comparisons.}}

== See also ==
* [[XWV]] - variant used by {{xbox360|4.1}}
* [[MP3]]
* [[VSND]]

== External links ==
* [[Wikipedia:WAV|WAV on Wikipedia]]

[[Category:Audio formats]]