WavPack

WavPack: Open-Source Audio Compression Format

WavPack is an open-source audio compression format offering lossless and high-quality lossy compression for WAV files, reducing file size by 40-70% while maintaining compatibility with most WAV players.

What is WavPack?

WavPack is an open-source lossless and lossy audio compression format developed by David Bryant. It was designed to efficiently compress CD-quality audio (16-bit, 44.1 kHz) to about 40-70% the size of an equivalent uncompressed WAV file while being playable by most WAV players.

Some key features of WavPack include:

• Lossless and lossy compression modes - The lossless mode preserves the original CD-quality audio data perfectly. The lossy mode discards less audible data to achieve high compression ratios with minimal loss of quality.
• Fast decoding - Streamlined decoding algorithms allow WavPack files to be quickly decompressed and played back in real-time on most systems.
• Error correction - Any corrupted bits in a WavPack file can be corrected to restore the original data.
• Metadata support - It can store extra information like cover art, lyrics, artist info in WavPack files.
• Open source - Released under BSD license. The code and format is transparently documented.

WavPack's efficient hybrid lossless/lossy technology, speed, error correction abilities and open source nature make it a popular archiving and distribution format among audio enthusiasts and musicians.

WavPack Features

Official Links