Convert PAF to WAV Online — Lossless Ensoniq PARIS Recovery

PAF (PARIS Audio File) is a proprietary audio format from the Ensoniq PARIS digital audio workstation — winner of Electronic Musician's 1999 Editor's Choice Award for Best DAW. Released in 1997, PARIS was revolutionary: a DSP-based system using dedicated processors (not the computer's CPU) that could handle up to 128 tracks with four-band parametric EQ on each channel.

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PARIS earned a devoted following in professional studios for its exceptional audio quality — engineers described it as "the best kept secret of 90's pro studios" and compared its sound to 2" analog tape. At ~$3,000 for a complete system, it made professional-grade recording accessible to project studios worldwide.

Ensoniq was acquired by Creative Labs in 1998, and PARIS development slowed as Pro Tools dominated the market. The original software only runs on legacy Windows (9x/2000/XP), but many engineers still have archived PAF sessions from albums, demos, and productions recorded during PARIS's heyday.

WAV (Waveform Audio File Format) is an uncompressed audio format developed by Microsoft and IBM in 1991. It stores raw PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) audio data, preserving every sample from the original recording without any quality loss. WAV supports 16/24/32-bit depth, sample rates from 8 kHz to 192 kHz (commonly 44.1/48 kHz), and up to 65,535 channels. It's the standard working format for audio professionals in recording studios, broadcast facilities, and sound design workflows worldwide.

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The main tradeoff is file size: a 3-minute stereo track at CD quality (44.1kHz, 16-bit) is approximately 30 MB. While this makes WAV impractical for streaming or portable devices, it remains essential for editing, archiving, and any workflow where audio quality is paramount. Converting to MP3 reduces file size by 90% or more while maintaining perceptually transparent quality for most listeners.