How to Convert M4A to WAV Format?

When you want to listen to a song or watch a movie, sometimes you will get annoyed because it turns out that the file cannot be run. This can happen because the file is corrupted or the file format is not compatible with the player.

What you can do in this situation is to convert the file format to a format that suits the player. If you have a file in M4A format and you want to enjoy music with the same quality as it is when recorded, you can convert M4A to WAV file formats.

Section 1: What Is M4A and WAV and How to Play Them?

1.1 Definitions

• M4A audio, short for MPEG-4, is an audio file format developed by Apple that can contain a variety of audio content file types such as songs, audiobooks, and podcasts. It compresses audio information with the Advanced Audio Coding codec (AAC) or the Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC) and stores it in an MPEG-4 file. M4A is generally considered the successor to MP3 and is known for its superior audio quality and smaller file size compared to MP3 files. M4A is well-known in the digital audio industry because of its main advantage of producing high-quality music with small download sizes.

• WAV (The Waveform Audio File Format), also known as WAVE, is an audio file format. The format saves the audio files with various bitrates and sampling rates without compressing the bitstream. IBM and Microsoft created this standard for saving audio bitstreams on PCs. WAV stores raw audio that can be played on any device with or without special encoders or decoders. This makes it a great standard for sharing between platforms like Windows, Mac, and Unix.

1.2 How to Play

• M4A

Like many other types of audio files, those with the M4A extension can be accessed using a variety of tools that you can simply download or may already have on your computer.

All popular operating systems and audio players, including iTunes, Windows Media Player, VLC Media Player, and others, are also compatible with M4A files.

• WAV

Compared to more recent audio file formats like MP3, which use lossy compression to shrink the file size while preserving the same audio quality, wave files are larger.

WAV files can be compressed, nevertheless, with Audio Compression Manager (ACM) codecs. Several apps and APIs are accessible to convert WAV files to other widely used audio file formats.

And WAV files can be played with Windows Media Player, VLC, iTunes, Windows Media Player, Clementine, and most likely other popular media player applications.

1.3 What Are the Differences Between M4A and WAV?

There are some differences between M4A and WAV, as listed below:

• Compatibility

M4A is designed by Apple Inc and may not work with Windows programs and devices. For instance, Windows Media Player cannot play M4A files by default, we need to update to the latest version of Windows Media Player.

On the other hand, WAV is compatible with all Windows devices since it was established by IBM and Microsoft. It also supports Mac computers and QuickTime Media Player.

• File Size

M4A files are often somewhat small because the audio content is decoded using AAC compression while WAV files are bigger than most other file formats, including M4A, because it is lossless and uncompressed.

• Audio Quality

M4A files generally contain compressed content, which results in unsufficient audio quality. This format is not really a problem when you prefer file size over quality.

On the other hand, WAV files are uncompressed and deliver high-quality, lossless audio content. If quality is the most important consideration, this format is the best option.

Section 2: Why Convert M4A to WAV?

It is important to keep in mind that M4A files might not work with all devices and apps, even though they do work with many Apple products. It can be really annoying when you have to work with a player that does not support M4A.

However, you can find a solution by converting it to the more widely used WAV format which would guarantee excellent playback and compatibility with a range of devices and platforms.

When you change M4A files to WAV you are able to use the raw audio format. In other words, the audio data is saved in its original form, without being compressed or losing quality.

In this condition, WAV files offer the best quality of sound, which makes them perfect for people who work in the music and radio industries and need perfect sound quality in their projects. In addition, because WAV files are not compressed, they can be edited in various ways.

2.1 Ways to Convert M4A to WAV

• MusicFab All-In-One

The first way to convert M4A files to WAV files is using MusicFab All-In-One. This streaming music downloader software allow you to download your favorite music to various formats, in this case to M4A and WAV. This is to say, if the streaming music is originally in M4A format, this downloader can download it to WAV format directly.

It is a very user-friendly app that you can use easily and comfortably and it can download any files fast. You just need to follow the following steps:

• Online Conversion Tools

Online conversion tools are popular because they are convenient and easy to use. These web-based applications allow you to submit M4A files and convert them to WAV without any additional software.

First, simply select the M4A file you want to convert. Then, choose WAV as the output format and let the online tool handle the rest.

Keep in mind that the quality of the conversion will vary depending on the tool you use, so do your research and choose a dependable service.

Follow these steps to use a free online tool to change your M4A file to WAV:

• Audio Editing Software

Another way to convert M4A to WAV is by using audio editing software. Adobe Audition, Logic Pro, and Audacity can import M4A files and export them as WAV files.

These professional-grade software apps provide you with more control over the conversion process, allowing you to adjust numerous settings and factors to get the desired audio output.

If you want to use audio editing tools to change your M4A file to WAV, do these things:

Summary

Converting M4A files to WAV is not such a difficult thing to do. You can use several tools or software to do so. There are also some online tools that can be used without installation.

However, for sure and satisfactory results, you should use MusicFab All-In-One. With this software, you can get a qualified quality without much effort because this tool is very easy to use.