Understanding values saved in WAVE file

1. How do I read a wave file?
2. What are the values in a WAV file?
3. What information is stored in a WAV file?

How do I read a wave file?

Windows and Mac are both capable of opening WAV files. For Windows, if you double-click a WAV file, it will open using Windows Media Player. For Mac, if you double-click a WAV, it will open using iTunes or Quicktime. If you're on a system without these programs installed, then consider third-party software.

What are the values in a WAV file?

The 16 bit values in the wav file are amplitude values, encoded as signed 16 bit numbers. The amplitude can go from -32768 to +32767. The value can often better be interpreted as (almost) -1.0 to +1.0, but this is an interpretation.

What information is stored in a WAV file?

Waveform Audio File Format (WAVE, or WAV due to its filename extension; pronounced "wave") is an audio file format standard, developed by IBM and Microsoft, for storing an audio bitstream on PCs. It is the main format used on Microsoft Windows systems for uncompressed audio.