6 min read
What a good video to WAV converter has to get right
Most online converters answer the wrong question. Here is the checklist a film workflow actually needs.
Search for a video to WAV converter and you get a hundred sites that do roughly the same thing: upload, wait, download a 44.1 kHz 16 bit stereo file. For a podcast that is fine. For a feature it is a quiet act of vandalism.
Five things that matter
- Native sample rate preserved: 48 kHz stays 48 kHz, 96 kHz stays 96 kHz.
- Bit depth preserved: 24 bit stays 24 bit, no silent truncation to 16.
- Channel count preserved: a four channel camera master stays four channels.
- Explicit export options so you choose any conversion deliberately.
- Local processing, so unreleased material never leaves your machine.
Why the defaults are wrong
44.1 kHz exists because of the compact disc. Film and television run at 48 kHz and its multiples. Every converter that defaults to 44.1 is optimising for a delivery format nobody in your building uses, and forcing a resample that shifts clip length.
Privacy is a technical requirement
NDAs on scripted work are not decorative. Uploading rushes to an anonymous conversion site is a breach in most agreements, whatever the site's privacy page claims. Processing in the browser removes the question entirely: nothing is transmitted, so nothing can be retained.
Verify the output
After any conversion, inspect the file. Sample rate, bit depth, channel count and duration should match your expectation exactly. Two minutes of checking prevents a conform problem that surfaces at the mix.