5 min read
The best audio format for video editing, and why it is still WAV
Editing formats have one job: decode instantly, stay uncompressed, and never surprise you at conform.
An editing format is not a delivery format. It has to scrub cleanly, seek instantly and survive dozens of round trips without accumulating damage. That rules out anything lossy before the conversation starts.
WAV, the default answer
Linear PCM in a WAV container is universally supported, uncompressed, and carries broadcast metadata and timecode in the bext chunk. Every NLE and DAW reads it without a plugin.
AIFF, equally valid
AIFF stores the same uncompressed audio with a different header. It is common in Apple ecosystems and in sound libraries. Converting between WAV and AIFF is lossless, so the choice is workflow preference.
What to avoid mid project
- MP3 and AAC: fine as references, damaging when re-encoded through an edit.
- Variable bitrate files: seeking and sync accuracy suffer in some NLEs.
- Mixed sample rates in one timeline: real time conversion invites drift.
The settings that matter
48 kHz, 24 bit, one file per source track. That combination matches every video delivery spec, gives enough headroom for quiet dialogue, and keeps file sizes reasonable at roughly 8 MB per minute per mono channel.
Compressed archives
FLAC is a good archive format because it is lossless and roughly halves the size. Decode it back to WAV before editing so the NLE is not spending CPU on decompression during playback.