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Audio format

AIFF converter

An .aiff file is Apple's Audio Interchange File Format, storing uncompressed PCM audio much as WAV does on Windows. Mac-based studios have exchanged .aiff masters for decades, and Logic Pro sessions and sample libraries remain full of them.

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Batch files can each use a different output. Nothing uploads for local conversions.

Working inputs include camera RAW, browser-local audio/video, PDF, CBZ/CBR comics, office documents, ebooks, markup, 3D models, structured text, images, and archives.

Where AIFF comes from

Apple published AIFF in 1988, deriving its chunk structure from Electronic Arts' IFF-85 format born on the Amiga. The AIFF-C variant added optional compression in 1991, and its little-endian 'sowt' flavor became the standard PCM layout on modern Macs.

How AIFF works

  • Classic AIFF stores big-endian PCM, the opposite byte order from WAV, in COMM and SSND chunks
  • Bit depths from 8 to 32 bits and sample rates past 192 kHz are supported
  • Storage cost is identical to WAV since both hold raw samples
  • Marker and instrument chunks carry loop points, which samplers depend on
  • AIFF-C permits compressed payloads such as IMA4, though these are rare today

When to use AIFF

  • Delivering masters from macOS-based studios
  • Distributing sample libraries whose loop points must survive
  • Importing directly into Logic Pro or Ableton without conversion
  • Preparing tracks for audio CD burning on Macs

Strengths and limitations

Strengths

  • Bit-perfect audio identical in fidelity to WAV
  • Loop and marker metadata that samplers actually read
  • First-class citizen in Apple's professional audio tools

Limitations

  • As bulky as any uncompressed format
  • Less common than WAV outside macOS, so some Windows tools mishandle it
  • Tagging support is thin without the unofficial ID3 extension

Compatibility

macOS and all serious audio software open .aiff without hesitation, and Windows editors generally support it even though WAV is their default. Browsers offer partial support at best, and the format's size makes it a poor web choice regardless.

NAME, AUTH, and ANNO chunks provide basic text, marker and instrument chunks store loop data, and an ID3 chunk is a common unofficial extension used by iTunes.

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Convert other formats to AIFF