When encountering the error message “audio file could not be read as pcm wav, aiff/aiff-c, or native flac; check if file is corrupted or in another format,” it typically indicates that the audio file you are trying to read is not in a supported format or it is corrupted. Here’s a detailed explanation with examples:
Supported Formats:
The error suggests that the audio file must be in one of the following supported formats:
- PCM WAV (.wav): Uncompressed audio format commonly used in Windows.
- AIFF/AIFF-C (.aiff or .aif): Lossless audio format commonly used in Apple devices and software.
- Native FLAC (.flac): Lossless audio format known for high-quality compression.
Possible Causes:
If you encounter the mentioned error, it can be due to one of the following reasons:
- The file is not in any of the supported formats mentioned above.
- The audio file is corrupted or damaged.
- The file extension might be incorrect (e.g., renaming .mp3 file to .wav without proper conversion).
Example:
Let us consider an example to demonstrate the error:
<audio src="audio_file.mp3"></audio>
In this example, an <audio> element is used to play an audio file with the source audio_file.mp3. If the file is not in the supported formats (PCM WAV, AIFF/AIFF-C, or Native FLAC), or if it is corrupted, the error message will be displayed.
Possible Solutions:
To resolve the issue, you can try the following solutions:
- Ensure the audio file is in one of the supported formats listed above.
- If the file is corrupted, try obtaining a fresh copy of the audio file.
- If the file extension is incorrect, rename the file with the appropriate extension or convert it to the desired format using audio conversion tools.