Audio Interchange File Format (.aiff)

The AIFF file format, which refers to the Audio Interchange File Format, introduced by Apple Inc. in 1988, is a foundational audio format in computer technology. Originating from the Electronic Arts Interchange File Format used on Amiga systems, AIFF has become a reliable method for preserving sound data on personal computers and electronic audio devices. Renowned for its superior audio quality, AIFF employs uncompressed pulse-code modulation (PCM), ensuring an authentic digital copy of the original audio without alteration.

Due to its uncompressed nature, AIFF files are notably large. For instance, a single minute of stereo audio at a 44.1 kHz sample rate and 16-bit depth occupies approximately 10 MB of storage. Nonetheless, AIFF's fidelity and capacity to hold supplementary information, such as loop points and sample musical notes, make it indispensable for hardware samplers and music software. Additionally, AIFF-C or AIFC, its compressed variant, incorporates various compression codecs to reduce file size while retaining much of the audio quality.