File Formats

This is the most common file format on the PC platform. Wave files have the extension .wav.

This is an audio file format standard defined by Apple Inc. AIFC files are used on most computer platforms. They support compression ratios as high as 6:1 and contain tags in the header. AIFC files have the extension .aifc.

This is an audio file format standard defined by Apple Inc. AIFF files are used on most computer platforms. The files can contain embedded text strings. AIFF files have the extension .aif.

This is a family of standards used for encoding audio-visual information such as movies, video, and music in a digital compressed format. Cubase can read MPEG Layer 2 and MPEG Layer 3. MP3 files are highly compressed files that still provide good audio quality. The files have the extension .mp3.

This is an audio file format defined by Microsoft Inc. WMA files can be decreased in size with no loss of audio quality. WMA Pro features the possibility of mixing down to 5.1 surround sound. The files have the extension .wma.

This is an open source format that reduces the size of audio files by 50 % to 60 % compared to regular Wave files. The files have the extension .flac.

This is an open source, patent-free audio encoding and streaming technology. The Ogg Vorbis encoder uses variable bit rate encoding. It offers compressed audio files of small size, but with comparatively high audio quality. The files have the extension .ogg.

This is a proprietary format developed by Sonic Foundry Inc. Wave 64 files offer the same quality as Wave files, but they can be considerably larger than standard Wave files. They are especially suited for long recordings with file sizes over 2 GB. The  files have the extension .w64.