S16 to ALAC Converter
Processing entirely on your device — large files may take a moment.
16-bit PCM (raw) and Apple Lossless exist for different jobs: S16 is headerless 16-bit little-endian PCM — the lingua franca of DSP tool output and embedded audio logs, with no rate or channel info inside. Convert ALAC to FLAC for non-Apple players, or MP3 for sharing.
Because the whole conversion happens on your device, it is instant, unlimited and genuinely private — no accounts, no watermarks, no files on anyone's server. Multiple files are converted in one go.
How S16 compares to ALAC
| S16 | ALAC | |
|---|---|---|
| Structure | 16-bit PCM (raw) container | MP4 (alac sample entry) container |
| Compatibility | ffmpeg, archive tools | iOS, macOS, iTunes, ffmpeg |
| Best for | Rescuing legacy audio | Apple-ecosystem lossless libraries |
How to convert S16 to ALAC
- 1
Select your files
Drag & drop your S16 files onto the area above, or click to browse. You can add multiple files at once for batch conversion.
- 2
Convert instantly
Click "Convert to ALAC". The conversion runs entirely inside your browser using WebAssembly — no upload, no queue, no waiting.
- 3
Download results
Download each converted ALAC file individually, or grab everything at once as a ZIP archive.
About the S16 format
S16 is headerless 16-bit little-endian PCM — the lingua franca of DSP tool output and embedded audio logs, with no rate or channel info inside.
ffmpeg decodes it natively inside your browser — the audio track is re-encoded to your chosen format with nothing ever uploaded.
+ Strengths
- ✓Decoded natively by ffmpeg
- ✓Runs entirely in your browser
- ✓Free, private, no watermarks
! Limitations
- −Legacy niche format
- −Modern tools rarely open it
- −Keep the original for archival round-trips
About the ALAC format
ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec) is Apple's FLAC equivalent: bit-exact lossless compression inside an MP4 container, opened-source in 2011 and now native on every Apple device and most server-side pipelines. It is what iTunes Store sells as "lossless" and what iPhone recordings encode to by default.
For non-Apple players FLAC is the safer target, and conversion is sample-exact in both directions — the decode is handled by ffmpeg's native ALAC decoder without any Apple runtime.
+ Strengths
- ✓Native on every Apple device
- ✓Open source since 2011
- ✓Reasonable sizes inside MP4
! Limitations
- −Outside Apple ecosystems FLAC wins
- −Slightly worse ratios than FLAC
- −Confusing .m4a extension doubles as lossy
Why convert S16 to ALAC?
Converting makes sense where the strengths of ALAC meet what S16 cannot give you. Native on every Apple device Meanwhile Legacy niche format One pass through the converter above puts your file on the right side of that trade-off.
Frequently asked questions
Is this S16 to ALAC converter really free?
Yes — completely free, with no sign-up, no watermark and no daily conversion limits. The site is supported by advertising.
Are my files uploaded to a server?
No. The conversion runs entirely inside your browser using WebAssembly, so your files never leave your device — that is what makes it instant and private.
Does it work on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android?
Yes. Anything with a modern browser works: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS. No software installation is required.
Is there a file size limit for S16 to ALAC?
The only limit is your device's memory, since nothing is uploaded. Files up to a few hundred megabytes work fine on a modern desktop browser; very large files simply take a little longer.
Will converting S16 to ALAC reduce audio quality?
If ALAC is lossless, the output contains everything the S16 file contains — no further loss is added. If ALAC is lossy, one recompression pass is unavoidable; the quality slider controls how much. Loss that already happened in the source file can never be undone by converting.
Are tags like title and artist preserved?
Tag handling varies between target formats and this conversion focuses on the audio itself. For archival copies where tags matter, keep the original file; the converted copy is for playback and sharing.