🔄 WAV ⇄ ALAC Converter
🎯 Overview
This is a high-quality bidirectional converter that converts between WAV and ALAC (Apple Lossless) files. It supports both 16bit and 24bit audio and completely preserves metadata and cover art.
✨ Key Features
- Bidirectional Conversion - Supports both WAV → ALAC and ALAC → WAV
- High-Quality Conversion - Lossless compression with no audio quality degradation
- 16/24bit Support - Automatically detects and preserves original bit depth
- Metadata Preservation - Completely preserves artist name, album name, and other information
- Cover Art Support - Preserves album artwork (except ALAC→WAV)
- Maximum Compression - Uses ALAC's highest compression level 12
- Batch Processing - Supports multiple files and folder batch processing
📦 Distribution Files
| File Name |
Description |
wav_alac_converter.exe |
EXE file (approx. 7.2MB) |
ffmpeg_install.bat |
FFmpeg installation batch file |
wav_alac_converter_ReadMe.html |
User manual (Japanese version) |
wav_alac_converter_ReadMe_en.html |
This file (User manual - English version) |
⚠️ Important: FFmpeg installation is required to use this tool.
📋 Operating Environment
| Item |
Description |
| OS |
Windows 10 or later |
| Required Software |
FFmpeg (ffmpeg.exe, ffprobe.exe) |
| Supported Input |
WAV (16/24bit), ALAC/M4A |
| Supported Output |
ALAC (.m4a), WAV (16/24bit) |
⚙️ FFmpeg Installation
Method 1: Automatic Installation (Recommended)
- Double-click
ffmpeg_install.bat
- Allow execution with administrator privileges
- FFmpeg will be automatically downloaded and installed
- Restart your PC after installation completes
Method 2: Manual Installation
- Download from FFmpeg official site
- Download "ffmpeg-release-essentials.zip"
- Extract and place in
C:\ffmpeg or similar location
- Add
C:\ffmpeg\bin to system environment variable PATH
- Restart your PC
✅ Verifying FFmpeg Installation
- Open Command Prompt (Win + R → cmd → Enter)
- Type
ffmpeg -version and press Enter
- If version information is displayed, installation is successful
🚀 How to Use
Basic Usage
- Drag & drop music file(s) (WAV or ALAC) onto
wav_alac_converter.exe (or its shortcut)
- Conversion starts automatically
- Converted files are created in the same folder as the original file
💡 Drag & Drop Tips:
- Multiple files can be dropped at once
- Dropping a folder processes all WAV/ALAC files in it
- WAV and ALAC can be mixed (automatically detected)
Automatic Conversion Direction Detection
- WAV files (.wav) → Convert to ALAC (.m4a)
- ALAC files (.m4a) → Convert to WAV (.wav)
📊 Conversion Specifications
WAV → ALAC Conversion
| Item |
Specification |
| Codec |
ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec) |
| Compression Level |
12 (Maximum compression) |
| Bit Depth |
Same as original WAV (16bit/24bit auto-detect) |
| Sampling Rate |
Same as original WAV |
| Metadata |
Complete preservation (Title, Artist, Album, etc.) |
| Cover Art |
Preserved (JPEG/PNG supported) |
ALAC → WAV Conversion
| Item |
Specification |
| Format |
PCM (Uncompressed) |
| Bit Depth |
Same as original ALAC (16bit/24bit auto-detect) |
| Sampling Rate |
Same as original ALAC |
| Metadata |
Basic information only (Title, Artist, Album, Year, Genre, Track number)
※Composer and Comment not supported |
| Cover Art |
Not supported (WAV format limitation) |
Note: Standard WAV format does not have native support for embedded cover art. This tool does not save cover art during ALAC→WAV conversion. (Cover art can be embedded in WAV using specialized tools like Mp3tag)
📁 Output Files
File Naming Rules
- Original filename is basically preserved
- Only extension is changed (.wav → .m4a, .m4a → .wav)
- If a file with the same name exists, a number is appended (e.g.,
music_2.m4a)
Filename Examples
| Original File |
After Conversion |
song.wav |
song.m4a (ALAC) |
album_track.m4a |
album_track.wav |
music.wav (existing: music.m4a) |
music_2.m4a |
🔍 Metadata Support
Preserved Metadata
| Field |
WAV→ALAC |
ALAC→WAV |
| Title |
✅ Preserved |
✅ Preserved |
| Artist |
✅ Preserved |
✅ Preserved |
| Album |
✅ Preserved |
✅ Preserved |
| Album Artist |
✅ Preserved |
✅ Preserved |
| Year |
✅ Preserved |
✅ Preserved |
| Genre |
✅ Preserved |
✅ Preserved |
| Track Number |
✅ Preserved |
✅ Preserved |
| Composer |
✅ Preserved |
❌ Not supported |
| Comment |
✅ Preserved |
❌ Not supported |
| Cover Art |
✅ Preserved |
❌ Not supported |
❓ Troubleshooting
"FFmpeg is not installed" Error
Cause: FFmpeg is not installed or PATH is not set.
Solution:
- Run
ffmpeg_install.bat to install FFmpeg
- Or manually install FFmpeg and add to PATH
- Restart PC after installation
Conversion Fails
Cause: File is corrupted or in an unsupported format.
Solution:
- Verify that the original file plays normally
- WAV files support only 16bit/24bit (32bit not supported)
- M4A files support only ALAC codec (AAC not supported)
Metadata Not Saved
Cause: Original file has no metadata set.
Explanation:
- If the original file has no tag information, it remains empty after conversion
- WAV→ALAC conversion performs enhanced metadata copying with mutagen library
- ALAC→WAV conversion may not save some metadata due to WAV format limitations
Cover Art Not Displayed (WAV)
Cause: This tool does not support embedding cover art in WAV files.
Explanation:
- Standard WAV format does not have native support for embedded cover art
- Cover art can be embedded in WAV using specialized tools like Mp3tag
- Cover art is preserved in ALAC format
- If you need cover art, keep in ALAC format
💡 Usage Examples
Useful For
- Use with Apple products: Convert WAV files to ALAC for management in iTunes/Apple Music
- Reduce file size: Convert WAV to ALAC to reduce file size while maintaining quality (approx. 30-50% compression)
- DAW/editing work: Convert ALAC files to WAV for editing in various DAWs
- High-quality storage: Store 24bit hi-res sources in ALAC without compression
- Metadata organization: Convert formats while preserving tag information
🎓 Technical Specifications
Technologies Used
- FFmpeg: Audio file conversion engine
- mutagen: Metadata reading/writing
- ALAC codec: Apple Lossless Audio Codec (lossless compression)
About ALAC (Apple Lossless)
ALAC is a lossless audio compression codec developed by Apple.
- Quality: Completely lossless compression (100% identical to original WAV)
- Compression ratio: Approximately 30-50% file size reduction
- Compatibility: Standard support in iTunes, Apple Music, iOS, macOS
- Supported bit depths: 16bit, 24bit (up to 32bit)
- Supported sampling rates: Any (up to 384kHz)
🔒 Security Information
VirusTotal Scan Results
This EXE file has been scanned by the third-party organization VirusTotal:
Detection Engines (6/72):
- Arctic Wolf - Unsafe
- DeepInstinct - MALICIOUS
- Jiangmin - Trojan.Generic.hunjo
- SentinelOne (Static ML) - Static AI - Suspicious PE
- Skyhigh (SWG) - BehavesLike.Win64.Generic.wc
- Zillya - Trojan.Blank.Script.976
About False Positives:
- Not detected by major security software (Windows Defender, Kaspersky, Avast, AVG, etc.)
- Contains no malicious code whatsoever
- False positive pattern by some engines for tools that convert Python scripts to EXE
⚠️ About Download Warnings
Your browser may warn that this is a "dangerous file", but this is a false positive.
For Chrome:
- "Dangerous file" appears in the download bar
- Click the "^" to the right of the filename
- Click "Continue" or "Keep"
For Microsoft Edge:
- "This file cannot be downloaded safely" appears
- Click "..." (details)
- Click "Keep"
⚠️ About First-Time Execution Warning
Windows Defender (SmartScreen) may display a warning, but this is a false positive:
- "Windows protected your PC" appears
- Click "More info"
- Click "Run anyway" button
📄 Disclaimer
Notes on Usage
- Use of this tool is at your own risk.
- The developer assumes no responsibility for the quality of converted files.
- The developer assumes no responsibility for any damage caused by the operation of this tool.
- Conversion of copyrighted music files should be performed within the scope of personal use.
📄 License
This tool is freely distributable and usable. FFmpeg is distributed under the LGPL license.
🧑💻 Developer Information
This tool was developed with the aim of providing a better music experience for music lovers.
If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to contact us at the above address.
WAV ⇄ ALAC Converter - High-Quality Bidirectional Audio Converter