A “wav” is actually a file extension. If you use your computer for word processing, then you are undoubtedly familiar with the .doc extension that you will find when looking for a document you saved with the help of Word for Windows. This kind of document is differentiated from an image, which is usually saved under the extension .gif. It is therefore no surprise that .wav is the extension that oftentimes accompanies an audio file. While there may be many different kinds of audio formats out there, wav files pertain specifically to the kinds of format associated with Microsoft and IBM.

What makes wav files so popular among computer savvy teens is the fact that with just a bit of knowledge and some easily accessible software, they can be changed, enhanced, and modified in any number of ways. It is important to note that wav files are usually storing uncompressed data, which means that the files are large in size and thus slow to share with others. Granted, if you have a DSL connection or something faster, and if you have a hard drive with enough storage space, then wav files present no challenge to you.

Yet if you are hampered by a dial up connection, or if you are running a lot of programs and your memory is already becoming cluttered, then the last thing you will want to add to the mix are some free wav files of the latest tunes that someone is sending to you. Add to this the current popularity of iPods which do not utilize free wavs but instead operate on the MP3 platform, and you can quite clearly see that free music wav files are more and more becoming a thing of the past.

To this end, there is now a move to convert wav to MP3, so that while the file format is popular with those who like to play with the sounds, the ability to quickly and easily share, store and play them is also available. Additionally, there is now a new trend toward trying to create movie wav files. While it is unclear where the technology is headed with respect to movie wavs, it has shown itself to become somewhat outmoded as the popularity of the MP3 to wav converter did not soar as some had hoped. Instead, more and more users now will invest in the MP3 technology and give little thought to the wav capabilities their computer still has.