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WireTap Studio Format Preferences

To access the format pane of the WireTap Studio preferences, go to the WireTap Studio menu and select Preferences, then click on the Format button.

format preferences

Presets - use this menu to choose from the list of preset file formats and settings.

Details - click the disclosure triangle to display or hide the audio format details.

File Format - use this menu to set the file format.

WireTap Studio supports the following file formats:
AAC ADTS - Advanced Audio Coding, or AAC is the standard audio format for Apple devices and software (see MPEG-4 Audio). ADTS refers to the way it stores audio data.
AIFc - Audio Interchange File compresssed, or AIFc is an AIFF file that supports compression. Many older CD players cannot play AIFc files. AIFc files are limited to 4GB in size.
AIFF - Audio Interchange File Format, or AIFF are uncompressed stereo files. AIFF files are CD quality. Any CD player can play AIFF files. AIFF files are limited to 4GB in size.
Apple CAF file - Core Audio File, or CAF is Apple's Core Audio Format. CAF files are lossless, and are not limited in file size.
MP3 - highly compressed very good quality files. Similar to AAC, size is reduced by eliminating audio information outside the range of human hearing.
MPEG-4 Audio (AAC) - highly compressed, but excellent quality files. File size is reduced by eliminating audio information that is outside the range of human hearing. AAC files are limited to 4GB in size.
NeXt/Sun (AU) - NeXt/Sun audio files support both lossless and lossy compression. It is the defacto standard for Unix audio.
QuickTime Movie - the audio track of a .mov file. Recordings saved as .mov will play in the QuickTime Player.
Sound Designer II - designed by Digidesign for their audio software and a successor to the Sound Design audio format, the Sound Designer II (SDII) format is an extremely versatile audio format.
WAVE - generally an uncompressed audio format. WAV files at 44kHz and 16 bit are the standard file for audio CDs. WAV files are limited to 4GB in size.

Audio Format - use this menu to set how the audio will be compressed or stored.

Encoding Type - use this menu to set the encoding type for a particular audio format.

Sample Size - use this menu to set how large each audio sample will be. Generally speaking, the larger the sample size, the better the quality and the larger the file size.

Sample Rate - use this menu to set how often the audio will be sampled. Similar to sample size, generally speaking, the larger the sample size, the better the quality and the larger the file size.

Bit Rate - use this menu to limit the amount of data per second saved to file.

Quality Level - use this menu to set the quality level of the recording.

Channels - use this menu to save a recording in stereo or mono.

File Size - this field displays the file size per minute of recording with the current settings.

LivePreview™ - use this button to turn LivePreview™ on and off. Use LivePreview™ to listen to the source audio encoded at the settings you have chosen before you commit to the recording. To monitor the source audio at its original quality with no encoding, option-click on the LivePreview™ button.

See also

Discover WireTap Studio
WireTap Studio Preferences