External links
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| Core Audio Format | |
|---|---|
| Filename extension |
.caf |
| Internet media type |
audio/x-caf |
| Type code | caff |
| Uniform Type Identifier (UTI) | com.apple.coreaudio-format |
| Magic number | caff (ASCII) |
| Developed by | Apple Inc. |
| Initial release | 2005 |
| Type of format | media container |
| Container for | digital audio |
| Website | Apple Core Audio Format Specification 1.0 |
The Core Audio Format is a container format for storing audio, developed by Apple Inc. It is compatible with Mac OS X 10.4 and higher; Mac OS X 10.3 needs QuickTime 7 to be installed.
Core Audio Format is designed to overcome limitations of older digital audio formats, including AIFF and WAV. Just like the QuickTime .mov container, a .caf container can contain many different audio formats, metadata tracks, and much more data. Like the RF64, it is not limited to a 4 GB file size and a single .caf file can theoretically save hundreds of years of recorded audio due to its use of 64-bit file offsets.
GarageBand, Soundtrack Pro, and Logic Studio use the .caf format for their loop and sound effects library, particularly for surround-sound audio compressed with the Apple Lossless (ALAC) codec. It is also what is used to send Audio Messages over iMessage on iOS and macOS.
A CAF file begins with a file header whose first four bytes are the file type caff, followed by a 16-bit version (1 for the current specification) and 16-bit flags; all fields are big-endian.
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