SoundCloud to WAV / FLAC Converter
Check any SoundCloud link for the artist's own download, then convert audio files you already have into lossless WAV or FLAC, right here in your browser. Free, no account, nothing uploaded.
1. Check the track on SoundCloud
2. Convert your file to WAV or FLAC
Your file is converted inside your browser. Nothing is uploaded to a server.
Uncompressed 16-bit, 44.1 kHz. About 10 MB per minute.
One thing worth knowing up front: a WAV file is only as good as the audio it came from. Most SoundCloud audio is streamed as compressed files, so a WAV made from one won't sound better than the stream. What it does give you is an uncompressed file that drops cleanly into a DAW or DJ library and won't lose anything else when you edit and re-export it.
How this works
Two steps, and both are above. First, the lookup checks a SoundCloud link and points you at the artist's own download button when they've enabled it, which is the only way to get their original file. Second, the converter turns any audio file you already have into WAV or FLAC, inside your browser, with nothing uploaded to a server.
- Paste the track link to see the track and check for a download.
- Choose your file in the converter: your own upload, a free download, a bounce from a session, anything ffmpeg reads.
- Pick WAV or FLAC and convert. The file saves straight to your device.
Tracks the artist hasn't made downloadable aren't available here. SoundCloud's terms rule that out, and the audio a ripper gets is the compressed stream anyway, not the master.
What actually happens during WAV conversion
SoundCloud doesn't stream the WAV file an artist uploads. Every upload gets transcoded into compressed streaming versions, and that's what plays in your browser. According to SoundCloud's own high quality streaming page, standard streams are 128 kbps, while Go+ subscribers can switch on HQ streams at 256 kbps AAC. (If you're weighing that upgrade, our Go vs Go+ breakdown covers it.)
WAV conversion takes that compressed stream, decodes it and writes it out as plain uncompressed PCM audio, the same kind of data a CD holds. The sound itself doesn't change. You get exactly what you heard in the player, stored without compression.
So why bother? A few good reasons:
- Your DAW or sampler prefers it. WAV is the default working format in pretty much every studio app, and some older software and hardware won't read AAC or Opus at all.
- No extra quality loss when you edit. Every time you edit and re-save a lossy file, a bit more gets thrown away. Starting from WAV means your chops, edits and bounces don't stack a second round of compression on top.
- DJ software handles it easily. rekordbox, for example, lists WAV, AIFF and FLAC among its supported formats.
And one bad reason: expecting it to beat the stream. It won't. If you need the real master, look for a download button under the waveform first. When an artist turns downloads on, SoundCloud hands you the original file they uploaded, which is often a true WAV or FLAC.
The WAV format in plain English
The WAV format (Waveform Audio File Format) was built by Microsoft and IBM as part of the RIFF container for Windows 3.1, and the Library of Congress format description is a good read if you want the technical history. Most WAV files hold linear PCM audio with no compression at all. At CD quality (44.1 kHz, 16-bit stereo) that works out to about 10 MB per minute.
That size is the trade-off. In return, every program opens it and it takes almost no processing power to play. For a longer comparison of which format to pick for what, read our guide to WAV vs MP3 vs FLAC.
WAV vs FLAC vs MP3 at a glance
| WAV | FLAC | MP3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compression | None | Lossless | Lossy |
| 4-minute track | About 42 MB | About 20 to 30 MB | About 4 MB (128 kbps) to 10 MB (320 kbps) |
| Tags (artist, title, art) | Limited | Full support | Full support |
| Best for | Production, sampling, DJ USBs | Archiving, hi-fi listening | Phones, casual listening |
WAV or MP3: which should you download?
If you just want to listen on your phone or in the car, grab an MP3. It's a fraction of the size, and since the SoundCloud audio was compressed to begin with, you won't hear a difference. Our SoundCloud MP3 converter is the faster option for that, and it doubles as a quick MP3 downloader for anything you want offline.
Pick WAV when the file is headed into a DAW, sampler or DJ library, or when you plan to cut it up. It's also the format to work from if you're mastering a track before you release it, since every round of compression you skip is detail you keep. Pick FLAC when you're building an archive of SoundCloud music and don't want every song eating 40 MB.
Converting a SoundCloud playlist to WAV
SoundCloud offers downloads one track at a time, even when the artist has them switched on, so a whole SoundCloud playlist means collecting the tracks you're allowed to save and converting them together. The batch converter handles up to 20 files in one pass, all to the same format.
Use it responsibly
Every track on SoundCloud belongs to whoever made it. Converting your own uploads, free downloads, Creative Commons releases or songs you have permission to use is fine. Ripping someone's unreleased track to re-upload or sell isn't. And if an artist offers a download button, use it. You get the original file and they get the credit.