Convert MP4 to WAV
Settings
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Settings appear after you choose a file.
An audio editor or a video project often asks for uncompressed sound. The WAV holds the soundtrack of an MP4 as 16-bit audio, in a file many times larger than a compressed one.
MP4 or WAV?
Keep MP4 when
- Size matters. A WAV of a video's sound is many times larger than the sound itself.
Pick WAV when
- An editor or a sampler wants plain, uncompressed sound.
- The sound goes onto an audio CD or into a tool that only reads WAV.
About MP4 and WAV
MP4
The most widely used video format. It plays on most phones, computers and platforms, and is the usual way video is shared.
WAV
Uncompressed audio with every detail intact. Large files, but the standard for editing, mastering, and pro tools.
Questions
Why is the WAV so much bigger?
WAV stores the sound uncompressed, while a video usually squeezes it. An uncompressed file made from a compressed one only gets bigger.
Which bit depth does the WAV have?
16-bit, the same as an audio CD. The Terminal lines write it.
What happens to the video?
It is left out. The WAV holds only the sound of the MP4, and the Terminal lines drop the picture with -vn.
Do the title and artist stay?
With the FFmpeg lines, yes: FFmpeg carries tags such as the title across to the WAV. afconvert leaves them out.
Can I convert a whole folder at once?
Yes. Drop them all here. In Terminal, one line converts every MP4 in the folder.