Convert AIFC to AIF — Free Online Tool
Convert AIFC files to AIF format by decoding any compressed AIFC audio (including A-law, μ-law, or other encoded variants) into full uncompressed PCM audio stored in Apple's standard AIFF container. This is particularly useful when you need a universally readable lossless audio file from an AIFC source that may contain proprietary or compressed codecs.
to
FFmpeg Command
Copy this command to run the same conversion locally with FFmpeg on your desktop. Download FFmpeg
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Note: Browser-based encoding uses approximate quality targets. For precise CRF compression, copy the FFmpeg command above and run it on your desktop.
Estimated output:
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DownloadHow It Works
AIFC is a superset of Apple's AIFF format that can store audio in a variety of codecs — including compressed formats like PCM A-law, PCM μ-law, 32-bit float, and others — alongside uncompressed PCM. AIF (AIFF), by contrast, is strictly an uncompressed lossless container supporting only big-endian PCM variants (pcm_s16be, pcm_s24be, pcm_s32be, pcm_f32be, pcm_f64be). During this conversion, FFmpeg reads the AIFC container, decodes whatever audio codec is present — even a compressed one — and re-encodes it as 16-bit big-endian PCM (pcm_s16be) into a standard AIF container. If the source AIFC already contains uncompressed pcm_s16be audio, the decode-encode step is lossless. If the source uses a compressed codec like A-law or μ-law, the conversion expands the audio to full PCM, which increases file size but removes any compression artifacts from subsequent reads.
What Each Flag Does
| Flag | What it does |
|---|---|
ffmpeg
|
Invokes the FFmpeg tool, which handles all decoding, codec processing, and container writing for this AIFC-to-AIF conversion entirely within your browser via WebAssembly. |
-i input.aifc
|
Specifies the input file, an AIFC file that may contain uncompressed PCM or a compressed codec variant such as A-law or μ-law audio inside Apple's extended AIFF container. |
-c:a pcm_s16be
|
Sets the output audio codec to signed 16-bit big-endian PCM — the standard uncompressed audio format required by the AIF container. This decodes any compressed AIFC audio into full lossless PCM and is the most universally compatible bit depth for AIF files. |
output.aif
|
Specifies the output filename with the .aif extension, which tells FFmpeg to write the decoded audio into a standard Apple AIFF container holding uncompressed big-endian PCM audio. |
Common Use Cases
- Opening a compressed AIFC file (e.g., one encoded with A-law or μ-law from a telephony system) in an audio editor like Pro Tools or Logic Pro that expects standard uncompressed AIFF audio.
- Archiving a collection of AIFC files from an older Mac system into the more universally supported AIF format, ensuring long-term compatibility with modern software.
- Preparing audio assets for import into video editing suites like Final Cut Pro, which strongly prefer standard AIFF/AIF over the compressed AIFC variants.
- Stripping proprietary or codec-specific AIFC wrapping from audio field recordings so the files can be shared with collaborators who may not have decoders for compressed AIFC.
- Normalizing a mixed batch of AIFC files — some uncompressed, some A-law or μ-law encoded — into a single consistent uncompressed AIF format for a mastering or broadcast workflow.
- Converting AIFC telephony recordings stored with μ-law compression into full PCM AIF files for analysis, transcription, or further audio processing.
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on the codec inside the source AIFC file. If the AIFC contains uncompressed pcm_s16be audio — the most common case — the conversion to AIF is fully lossless; the audio data is simply decoded and re-encoded in the same PCM format with no quality change. However, if the AIFC uses a compressed codec like A-law or μ-law (common in telephony recordings), those formats are inherently lossy, meaning quality was already reduced when the AIFC was created. The conversion to AIF will decode them to PCM accurately, but it cannot recover audio information lost during the original compression.
If your source AIFC file used a compressed codec such as A-law, μ-law, or a float PCM variant, the AIFC was storing audio in a more compact form. Converting to AIF expands that audio into full uncompressed 16-bit big-endian PCM, which requires significantly more storage space — typically two to four times the size of a compressed AIFC source. This size increase is expected and is the natural result of moving to an uncompressed lossless format.
AIF (AIFF) is Apple's original audio format and supports only uncompressed big-endian PCM audio. AIFC is an extension of AIFF that adds support for compressed audio codecs, including A-law, μ-law, and floating-point PCM. Many modern applications — including some versions of Pro Tools, Final Cut Pro, and consumer audio software — accept AIFF/AIF but may choke on AIFC files that contain non-standard or compressed codecs. Converting to AIF guarantees the broadest compatibility.
Basic AIFF chunk metadata (such as NAME, AUTH, and ANNO chunks) may be carried over since both AIFC and AIF share the same IFF-based container structure. However, more advanced markers, loop points, or instrument chunks that exist in some AIFC files may not be fully preserved depending on how FFmpeg handles them during remuxing. If metadata preservation is critical, verify the output file in a dedicated audio editor after conversion.
The default command uses `-c:a pcm_s16be`, which produces 16-bit big-endian PCM — the most compatible AIF variant. If your source has higher bit depth and you want to preserve it, you can change the codec flag: use `-c:a pcm_s24be` for 24-bit output, `-c:a pcm_s32be` for 32-bit integer, or `-c:a pcm_f32be` for 32-bit floating-point. For example: `ffmpeg -i input.aifc -c:a pcm_s24be output.aif`. All of these are valid codecs within the AIF container.
Yes. On Linux or macOS, you can loop over files in a directory using a shell command: `for f in *.aifc; do ffmpeg -i "$f" -c:a pcm_s16be "${f%.aifc}.aif"; done`. On Windows Command Prompt, use: `for %f in (*.aifc) do ffmpeg -i "%f" -c:a pcm_s16be "%~nf.aif"`. This applies the same conversion logic to every AIFC file in the folder, outputting a matching AIF file for each.
Technical Notes
Both AIFC and AIF are built on Apple's IFF-based container structure, which means the conversion is fundamentally about codec compatibility rather than container reinvention. The critical constraint is that AIF supports only uncompressed big-endian PCM codecs (pcm_s16be, pcm_s24be, pcm_s32be, pcm_f32be, pcm_f64be), while AIFC additionally supports compressed formats including pcm_alaw and pcm_mulaw — which are 8-bit companded codecs derived from telephony standards (ITU-T G.711). If a source AIFC uses A-law or μ-law, FFmpeg will fully decode the companded audio to linear PCM before writing the AIF output, expanding 8-bit compressed samples into 16-bit linear PCM. This means the output file can accurately represent the decoded audio, but the bandwidth and dynamic range limitations of the original compressed codec still apply. The default output codec is pcm_s16be (signed 16-bit big-endian PCM), matching AIFF's most common and widely supported variant. Neither AIFC nor AIF supports video tracks, subtitles, chapters, or multiple audio streams, so none of those concerns apply to this conversion. Sample rate is passed through unchanged from the source file.