WAVE-FORMAT-EXTENSIBLE (WAVE-EX)

Documentation      Speaker Positions       Examples      Extensions

This is the new native format for Windows2000, the Kernel Audio services from which have been incorporated into Windows98 Second Edition.
WAVE-EX was defined to meet a number of objectives:


The format supports both integer (WAVEFORMATPCMEX) and floating-point (WAVEFORMATIEEEFLOATEX) samples.
 

Documentation

Full details of the specification can be read  here.

A paper (Word 97 format)  by Dave Rossum (Creative Labs), 'An Integrated Approach to Multi-Channel Audio', presented at WinHEC 99, is well worth reading, for a broad perspective on the many multi-channel paradigms, argued from the perspective of a 'virtual' recording studio, as might be implemented in a modern Audio Workstation. It includes a reference to WAVE-EX.
 

Speaker Positions.

Currently 18 positions are defined. The first twelve correspond to those defined by the USB 1.0 protocol. The remainder provide a reasonably complete set of  high and overhead positions. In particular, a standard B-Format (Ambisonic) cube speaker array can be directly represented. Future versions of the format may define further speaker positions.
 
 
WAVE-EX Speaker Positions
FRONT_LEFT
FRONT_RIGHT
FRONT_CENTER
LOW_FREQUENCY
BACK_LEFT 
BACK_RIGHT 
FRONT_LEFT_OF_CENTER
FRONT_RIGHT_OF_CENTER
BACK_CENTER 
SIDE_LEFT 
SIDE_RIGHT
TOP_CENTER
TOP_FRONT_LEFT
TOP_FRONT_CENTER
TOP_FRONT_RIGHT
TOP_BACK_LEFT 
TOP_BACK_CENTER
TOP_BACK_RIGHT

The new format is closely associated with the audio rendering subsystem in Windows2000 and Windows98 Second Edition.
The following facilities are available to all applications, independently of the specification of the soundard(s):


Note that plain multi-channel files (WAVE and AIFF) can be played directly (e.g in Windows95, using MediaPlayer) if the soundcard's driver offers a true multi-channel 'device'. See Richard Dobson's Soundcard Attrition Page for more information.

Examples.

Here are two quad soundfiles in the new format. We hope to post more examples soon, and also that other sites will appear, as other developers complete the software required to handle the new format. CDP has published a free Multi-Channel Toolkit (WIN32 console), which includes a program to play these files using a multi-channel MME device, and a program to create the quadraphonic pan illustrated below.
 
 

Example 1: from Microsoft
Speech idents, in LCRS surround format(44100Hz,16bit, 3.83 secs)
Wave_ex1.zip (291KB)
 
 

example 2: created using the CDP Multi-Channel Toolkit (illustrated below)
Drum, panned ambisonically in a circle in quad format (LF,RF,LR,RR) (22050Hz,16bit, 4.78 secs)
(also contains the PEAK chunk)
Drmapan.zip (660KB)


 

Example Extensions
 


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