# audio-decode [](https://github.com/audiojs/audio-decode/actions/workflows/test.js.yml)
Decode any audio format to raw samples.
JS / WASM – no ffmpeg, no native bindings, works in both node and browser.
Small API, minimal size, near-native performance, lazy-loading, chunked decoding.
[](https://npmjs.org/package/audio-decode/)
```js
import decode from 'audio-decode';
const { channelData, sampleRate } = await decode(anyAudioBuffer);
```
#### Supported formats
| Format | Package | Size | Engine |
|--------|---------|------|--------|
| MP3 | [@audio/decode-mp3](./packages/decode-mp3) | 92 KB | WASM |
| WAV | [@audio/decode-wav](./packages/decode-wav) | 4 KB | JS |
| OGG Vorbis | [@audio/decode-vorbis](./packages/decode-vorbis) | 164 KB | WASM |
| FLAC | [@audio/decode-flac](./packages/decode-flac) | 133 KB | WASM |
| Opus | [@audio/decode-opus](./packages/decode-opus) | 178 KB | WASM |
| M4A / AAC | [@audio/decode-aac](./packages/decode-aac) | 368 KB | WASM |
| QOA | [@audio/decode-qoa](./packages/decode-qoa) | 8 KB | JS |
| AIFF | [@audio/decode-aiff](./packages/decode-aiff) | 20 KB | JS |
| CAF | [@audio/decode-caf](./packages/decode-caf) | 7 KB | JS |
| WebM | [@audio/decode-webm](./packages/decode-webm) | 263 KB | WASM |
| AMR | [@audio/decode-amr](./packages/decode-amr) | 241 KB | WASM |
| WMA | [@audio/decode-wma](./packages/decode-wma) | 91 KB | WASM |
### Whole-file
Auto-detects format. Input can be _ArrayBuffer_, _Uint8Array_, or _Buffer_.
```js
import decode from 'audio-decode'
let { channelData, sampleRate } = await decode(buf)
```
### Chunked
```js
let dec = await decode.mp3()
let a = await dec(chunk1) // { channelData, sampleRate }
let b = await dec(chunk2)
await dec() // close
```
### Streaming
```js
import decode from 'audio-decode'
for await (let { channelData, sampleRate } of decode.mp3(response.body)) {
// process chunks
}
```
Works with `ReadableStream`, `fetch` body, Node stream, or any async iterable.
Formats: `mp3`, `flac`, `opus`, `oga`, `m4a`, `wav`, `qoa`, `aac`, `aiff`, `caf`, `webm`, `amr`, `wma`.
### Browser
Each codec is a self-contained bundle under `@audio/*` — no transitive deps, no import map bloat.
For selective loading in the browser (avoids bundling all codecs):
```html
```
Only list the codecs you need — each `@audio/decode-*` package bundles all its WASM/JS deps internally.
### Metadata
Read tags, pictures, markers and regions without decoding samples. Available for `wav`, `mp3`, `flac`.
```js
import { wav, mp3, flac } from 'audio-decode/meta'
let { meta, sampleRate, markers, regions } = mp3(bytes)
// meta: { title, artist, album, year, bpm, key, comment, pictures, raw, ... }
// markers: [{ sample, label }]
// regions: [{ sample, length, label }]
```
Each codec sub-package also exposes its parser directly:
```js
import { parseMeta } from '@audio/decode-wav/meta'
let info = parseMeta(wavBytes)
```
### WebWorker
Each `@audio/decode-*` package is a self-contained ESM module — import directly in a worker:
```js
// decode-worker.js
import decode from '@audio/decode-mp3'
self.onmessage = async ({ data }) => {
let pcm = await decode(data)
self.postMessage(pcm, pcm.channelData.map(ch => ch.buffer))
}
// main.js
let worker = new Worker('./decode-worker.js', { type: 'module' })
worker.postMessage(mp3buf, [mp3buf])
worker.onmessage = ({ data }) => { /* { channelData, sampleRate } */ }
```
## See also
* [audio-encode](https://github.com/audiojs/audio-encode) – encode PCM into any audio format.
* [audio-type](https://github.com/audiojs/audio-type) – detect audio format from buffer.
MIT • ॐ