Convert RAW Audio to MKV — Free Online Converter
Convert Raw PCM Audio (.raw-audio) to Matroska Video (.mkv) online for free. Fast, secure audio conversion with no watermarks or registration....
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How to Convert
Upload your .raw file by dragging it into the upload area or clicking to browse.
Choose your output settings. The default settings work great for most files.
Click Convert and download your .mkv file when it's ready.
About RAW Audio to MKV Conversion
Raw PCM audio is the fundamental building block of digital audio — a continuous binary stream of sample values with no header, no metadata, and no container structure. The file is pure numerical data representing sound wave amplitudes at regular intervals. Every parameter needed to interpret this data (sample rate, bit depth, byte order, channel count) must be supplied externally. Raw audio is generated by hardware test systems, embedded processors with I2S or TDM interfaces, and scientific instruments that output samples directly to storage.
MKV (Matroska Video) is the open-source multimedia container built on EBML (Extensible Binary Meta Language). Despite its video-centric name, MKV excels at storing audio-only content with virtually unlimited codec support, multiple audio tracks, chapters, metadata, and attachments. Converting raw audio to MKV produces an audio-only file inside the most flexible container format available — no video track is present, but all of Matroska's organizational features are accessible.
Why Convert RAW Audio to MKV?
Raw PCM cannot be played, indexed, or managed by any media system. MKV wraps the audio in a container that supports literally every audio codec ever created — PCM, FLAC, AAC, Vorbis, Opus, AC3, DTS, and dozens more. This means raw audio can be stored as uncompressed PCM within MKV (adding only a header), losslessly compressed as FLAC, or lossy-encoded as any standard codec, all within the same container format.
MKV's unique advantage over simpler containers is its support for chapters, multiple audio tracks (different languages or mixes), attached files (liner notes, cover art, technical documentation), and arbitrary metadata tags. For archiving complex raw audio collections with rich organizational metadata, MKV is unmatched.
Common Use Cases
- Archiving raw multichannel audio captures with chapter markers for navigation through long recordings
- Storing multiple raw audio versions (different sample rates, different mixes) in a single MKV file
- Packaging raw field recordings with attached documentation, calibration data, and GPS coordinates
- Creating organized audio archives from raw hardware test captures with embedded test descriptions
- Converting raw audio from scientific instruments into a container that supports arbitrary metadata for research provenance
How It Works
FFmpeg reads the raw PCM stream with explicit parameters: `-f s16le -ar 44100 -ac 2` for 16-bit signed little-endian stereo at 44.1 kHz. The audio can be stored in MKV using any supported codec: `-c:a copy` wraps PCM directly, `-c:a flac` provides lossless compression, `-c:a libvorbis` or `-c:a libopus` for lossy compression. The MKV container uses EBML elements to describe the audio track, codec parameters, and any metadata. Chapter files can be added via `-map_metadata` or external chapter files in XML format.
Quality & Performance
MKV is a container and introduces zero quality degradation itself. If the raw PCM is stored as uncompressed PCM within MKV, quality is bit-identical to the source. FLAC encoding within MKV provides lossless compression (40-60% size reduction) with guaranteed bit-perfect reconstruction. Lossy codecs (Vorbis, Opus, AAC) apply their standard quality characteristics. The quality outcome depends entirely on the codec chosen, not the MKV container.
Device Compatibility
| Device | RAW Audio | MKV |
|---|---|---|
| Windows PC | Partial | Partial |
| macOS | Partial | Partial |
| iPhone/iPad | Partial | Partial |
| Android | Partial | Partial |
| Linux | Partial | Partial |
| Web Browser | No | No |
Recommended Settings by Platform
Spotify
Resolution: N/A
Bitrate: 320 kbps
OGG Vorbis preferred
Apple Music
Resolution: N/A
Bitrate: 256 kbps
AAC format required
SoundCloud
Resolution: N/A
Bitrate: 128 kbps
Lossless FLAC/WAV for best quality
Podcast
Resolution: N/A
Bitrate: 128 kbps
MP3 mono for spoken word
Tips for Best Results
- 1Use FLAC encoding within MKV for the best combination of lossless quality, reasonable compression, and rich metadata support
- 2Add chapter markers for long recordings — MKV's chapter system supports nested chapters with multiple languages
- 3Attach supplementary files (calibration data, spec sheets, photos) directly inside the MKV using the attachment feature
- 4For maximum compatibility, use Opus audio in MKV — it provides excellent quality at low bitrates and is widely supported by modern players
- 5MKV's tagging system supports arbitrary key-value pairs — embed all recording parameters (device, location, conditions) for archival completeness
Raw audio to MKV conversion wraps headerless binary samples in the most capable open-source container available, supporting any codec, chapters, attachments, and rich metadata for professional audio archival and organization.