wav2416

A command-line tool for converting 24-bit WAV audio files to 16-bit with high-quality TPDF (Triangular Probability Density Function) dithering.

Overview

wav2416 processes all 24-bit WAV files in a specified directory and converts them to 16-bit format. The tool uses TPDF dithering to minimize quantization distortion and preserve audio quality during bit-depth reduction. Original files are replaced with their converted versions.

Features

• Converts 24-bit WAV files to 16-bit format
• High-quality TPDF dithering algorithm
• Batch processing of entire directories
• Preserves sample rate and channel configuration
• Safe file replacement with temporary file handling
• Detailed conversion statistics

Installation

From Source

Requires Rust 1.70 or later.

git clone https://github.com/GronuJ/wav2416.git
cd wav2416
cargo build --release

The compiled binary will be located at target/release/wav2416.

Using Cargo

cargo install --path .

Usage

wav2416 [OPTIONS] <directory>

Arguments

• <directory> - Path to directory containing WAV files to convert

Options

• -r, --recursive - Process subdirectories recursively

Examples

# Convert files in a single directory
wav2416 /path/to/audio/files

# Convert files in directory and all subdirectories
wav2416 -r /path/to/audio/files
wav2416 --recursive /path/to/audio/files

Output

The tool provides feedback during conversion:

Converted: /path/to/audio/file1.wav
Skipped (not 24-bit): /path/to/audio/file2.wav (16-bit)
Converted: /path/to/audio/file3.wav

Conversion complete:
  Converted: 2
  Skipped: 1
  Errors: 0

Behavior

• Only processes files with .wav extension (case-insensitive)
• Skips files that are not 24-bit
• By default, only processes files in the specified directory (non-recursive)
• With -r or --recursive flag, processes all subdirectories recursively
• Replaces original files with converted versions
• Uses temporary files during conversion for safe operation
• Exits with error code 1 if any errors occur

Technical Details

Dithering

The tool implements TPDF (Triangular Probability Density Function) dithering, which:

• Eliminates harmonic distortion from quantization
• Adds minimal noise floor
• Provides optimal perceptual quality for bit-depth reduction
• Uses triangular distribution centered at 0.0 with range of -1.0 to 1.0

Dependencies

• hound - WAV file I/O
• rand - Random number generation
• rand_distr - Triangular distribution for TPDF

Building

# Debug build
cargo build

# Release build (optimized)
cargo build --release

# Run tests
cargo test

License

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Contributing

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