Free online VOC to AU converter

Source format: VOC

VOC is an older audio file format originally associated with Creative Labs Sound Blaster hardware and early DOS-era software. It was commonly used for short sound effects, voice clips, and game audio in legacy applications. VOC files may contain simple PCM audio, but they can also include format-specific blocks and metadata that modern software does not always handle well.

Because VOC is a legacy format, it is mainly encountered when working with old games, archived software, or historical audio collections. Support in modern players and editors is limited compared with current formats.

Target format: AU

AU is an early audio container format developed for Unix systems. It is simple, widely recognized by many audio tools, and often used for basic uncompressed audio or older Unix-compatible sound files. AU files commonly store PCM audio, and some variants support μ-law or A-law encoding.

The main advantages of AU are its simplicity and compatibility with classic Unix and cross-platform audio tools. It is useful when you need a straightforward legacy audio format that is easier to process than VOC in many environments.

How to perform the conversion

The most reliable way to convert VOC to AU is with a desktop audio tool such as SoX or FFmpeg. These tools can read many legacy audio formats and write AU output without needing to manually decode the file first.

Using SoX

1. Install SoX on your system.
2. Open a terminal or command prompt.
3. Run a command such as sox input.voc output.au.
4. If the source file contains unusual encoding, specify the output format explicitly, for example sox input.voc -t au output.au.

Using FFmpeg

1. Install FFmpeg.
2. Open a terminal or command prompt.
3. Convert with ffmpeg -i input.voc output.au.
4. If needed, you can force a specific audio codec supported by AU, such as PCM or μ-law, depending on the source and compatibility requirements.

If you prefer a graphical workflow, use an audio editor that can open VOC files and export AU, then choose File → Save As or File → Export and select AU as the output format. Availability depends on the software and installed codecs.

Notes on quality, compatibility, and limitations

VOC is a legacy format, so conversion quality depends on how the original file was encoded. If the VOC file already contains low-sample-rate or compressed audio, converting it to AU will not improve the sound; it only changes the container and possibly the encoding.

Some VOC files include multiple blocks, silence markers, or non-PCM data. Not every converter handles these perfectly, so if one tool fails, try another such as SoX or FFmpeg. Also, AU support varies by player: uncompressed PCM AU is the safest choice for compatibility.

For best results, keep the original VOC file as an archive copy and verify the converted AU file by playing it in a trusted audio player or checking its properties with a tool like ffprobe or soxi.