WAV audio export — Verify the result

Worked example

To verify a WAV, compute the expected size from duration, rate and channels and check the file matches within a few bytes.

The expected size is seconds x sample rate x channels x 2 bytes, plus a header of about 44 bytes. A 3:00 stereo track at 44.1 kHz should land at 31,752,000 bytes, or 31.8 MB. At 48 kHz it is 34.56 MB, and as mono at 44.1 kHz it is 15.9 MB. If the file explorer shows 3 MB for that track, it is not a WAV of this kind; if it shows 60 MB, the sample rate or channels differ from what you chose.

Next, open the file properties. Windows and most players show the bitrate of a 44.1 kHz stereo 16-bit file as about 1,411 kbps, and 1,536 kbps at 48 kHz. Those two numbers are a fast fingerprint: 1,411 means 44.1 kHz stereo, 705 means mono, 1,536 means 48 kHz stereo.

The common mistake is to check only that the file plays. A WAV can play perfectly and still be at the wrong rate for your editor, which then shows a mismatch warning or shifts pitch on import. Load it into the actual next application and read the project settings it reports.

Finally, listen for the start and the end and look for clicks. A long silence at the end or a missing last second means the source duration differed, so compare the duration against the original recording.

60 s × 44100 Hz × 2 channels × 16 bit

10,584,000 PCM bytes before container overhead

The header adds only a few dozen bytes, so any gap of megabytes points at a settings difference, not at the format.