Audio file inspector
Audio File Inspector – Check Sample Rate, Bit Depth & Channels
- 1st conversion free
- No installation
- No plugin
- Files stay local
Drop an audio file to inspect
WAV, AIFF, MP3, M4A, FLAC, OGG, Opus. Verify sample rate, bit depth and channel layout before you import
✓ 1st conversion free. ✓ Your audio stays on your device.
Watch how to inspect an audio fileWhat this tool does for you
- Read sample rate, bit depth, channel count, layout, duration and file size in the browser
- See the channel names your field recorder wrote into the file
- Confirm the take with a waveform preview and playback
- Catch a rate or depth mismatch before it reaches the timeline
- Everything runs in your browser. Files are never uploaded to a server.
How it works
01. Drop a file
The header is parsed instantly, in your browser.
02. Read the specs
Sample rate, bit depth, channels, layout, duration, codec, size.
03. Listen and decide
Per-channel waveforms and playback, then pick the right tool.
Reading an audio file before you trust it
The four specs that decide compatibility
Sample rate sets how many times per second the waveform was measured, bit depth sets the dynamic resolution of each measurement, channel count sets how many streams are interleaved and the layout says what those streams mean. Almost every import problem in an NLE traces back to one of those four not matching the project.
Why checking first saves hours
A 44.1 kHz file dropped into a 48 kHz timeline is either resampled behind your back or plays at the wrong speed and drifts. The drift is small enough to miss on a short clip and obvious three hours into a cut, when it is expensive. Thirty seconds of inspection at ingest is the cheapest quality control in the chain.
What to check before sending audio to post-production
Four things, in this order. Sample rate and bit depth against the project spec, because a mismatch either resamples silently or drifts. Channel count and layout against the sound report, because a missing iso is much cheaper to notice at ingest. Duration against the take length, because a truncated card copy looks identical in a file browser. And the waveform itself, because a silent or clipped channel is visible in a second and inaudible in a rushed spot check.
Metadata beyond the header
Broadcast WAV files carry a bext chunk with timecode, scene and take, and often an iXML chunk with per-channel names. That metadata is what lets a poly take split into meaningfully named stems instead of Track 1 to Track 8.
Professional use cases
Ingest and quality control
Verify a card of rushes matches the sound report before anyone starts cutting.
Post-production
Diagnose why a file imports at the wrong speed or with missing channels.
Sound design
Check that a library file is genuinely high-resolution and not an upsampled MP3.
What can you check?
Everything below is read from the actual file, not guessed from its extension.
| Property | What you see |
|---|---|
| Sample rate | In Hz, read from the WAV header. Decoder output rate is flagged for compressed sources. |
| Bit depth | 16, 24 or 32-bit, with PCM float identified separately. |
| Channel count | How many streams are interleaved in the file. |
| Channel layout | Mono, stereo, surround or a named multitrack layout. |
| Layout source | Whether the layout came from iXML/bext metadata, the WAV channel mask, or an inference. |
| Duration | Exact length, to compare against the take. |
| File size and data size | Container size and the size of the audio data itself. |
| Codec | Linear PCM, PCM float, or the decoded source format. |
| Bitrate | Calculated for uncompressed PCM. Not shown for compressed sources, where it is not exposed. |
| Waveform and playback | One waveform per channel plus playback, to confirm the take is not silent or clipped. |
Check a WAV file before editing it
Inspection is the cheapest step in the chain and the one most often skipped. The practical order is always the same:
- Inspect the file and read its sample rate against the project rate.
- Read the bit depth: 24-bit for production, 16-bit only for a finished delivery.
- Read the channel count and layout against the sound report — a missing iso is far cheaper to notice now than after the assembly.
- Look at the per-channel waveforms for a silent, clipped or duplicated channel.
- Then pick the right tool: convert the sample rate if it does not match, split the PolyWAV into mono tracks if it is a multichannel take, reorder the channels if the layout is wrong, or convert stereo to mono if only one side carries the voice.
Check BWF and production sound files
Broadcast WAV files written by Sound Devices, Zoom, Zaxcom and Tascam recorders carry more than audio. A bext chunk holds timecode, scene and take; an iXML chunk usually holds a name for each track. Those names are what turn an eight-channel take into Boom, Lav1, Lav2 rather than Track 1 to Track 8.
The inspector shows the channel names it finds and tells you where the layout information came from, so you can see at a glance whether the recorder metadata survived a copy, a transcode or a round trip through an NLE. For what each chunk contains and why it disappears, read BWF metadata explained.
Why a rate or depth mismatch costs hours
A 44.1 kHz file dropped into a 48 kHz timeline is either resampled behind your back or plays at the wrong speed and drifts. On a ten-second clip the drift is invisible; three hours into a cut it is expensive. The same applies to a file that says stereo but carries a boom on one side and a radio mic on the other: it sounds wrong on every playback system until someone notices what it actually contains.
See how it works
How to Inspect an Audio FileWatch the step-by-step tutorial and check sample rate, bit depth, channels and metadata in your browser.Watch the tutorial →Your audio stays on your device
Decoding, processing and export all run in your browser: compressed formats are decoded with the Web Audio API, and WAV, AIFF and MP3 files are written by JavaScript in the page. Your audio is never uploaded to our servers. Only anonymous page analytics and, if you sign in, your account and payment details go online.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I check the sample rate of a WAV file?
- Drop the file on the inspector above. The sample rate is read from the WAV header and shown in Hz, next to bit depth, channel count, layout, duration and file size.
- How do I check the bit depth of a WAV file?
- It is in the same specification panel, read from the header: 16, 24 or 32-bit, with float flagged separately. For compressed sources the browser decodes to 32-bit float, and the panel says so instead of pretending to read a stored depth.
- How do I check how many channels a WAV file contains?
- The channel count and the channel layout are both shown, along with where the layout came from: iXML or bext metadata written by the recorder, the WAV channel mask, or an inference from the channel count.
- Can I see the track names a field recorder wrote into the file?
- Yes. When the file carries iXML or bext track names, each channel is labelled with that name beside its waveform instead of a bare number.
- Can I tell whether a file is really stereo or dual mono?
- Yes. The channel count, the layout and a separate waveform per channel are all visible, so two identical channels or a silent right side are obvious immediately.
- Does it work with files other than WAV?
- Yes. AIFF, MP3, M4A, FLAC, OGG and Opus can be inspected through the browser decoder. WAV gives the fullest information because the header is read directly rather than through a decoder.
- What should I check before sending audio to post-production?
- Sample rate and bit depth against the project spec, channel count and layout against the sound report, duration against the take length, and the waveform itself for a silent or clipped channel.
- Is the file uploaded to inspect it?
- No. The header is parsed and the audio decoded inside your browser. Nothing is sent to a server, which matters for embargoed rushes and confidential interviews.
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