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About PCM Drop

What Is PCM Drop?

PCM Drop is a free, browser-based suite of audio utilities. It was built to solve a specific and frustrating problem: raw PCM audio files — the kind produced by IoT devices, embedded systems, voice recorders, and telephony platforms — have no metadata and cannot be opened by standard media players like VLC or Windows Media Player without knowing their format parameters in advance.

PCM Drop lets you upload a PCM file, set the sample rate, bit depth, and channel count, and immediately hear whether the settings are correct. When you find the right settings, you can export the audio as MP3, WAV, or OGG for use in any standard media player or editing application.

Over time, the suite has expanded to include a general audio format converter (for converting between MP3, WAV, OGG, and WebM), an online tone generator (for testing speakers, headphones, and hearing range), and several purpose-built PCM workflow tools.

How the Tools Work

All audio processing on PCM Drop happens entirely in your browser. Your files are never uploaded to any server. When you select a file, it is read by your browser using the FileReader API. The audio is decoded and processed using the Web Audio API and JavaScript running on your own device. The converted output is generated in memory and downloaded directly to your device.

This architecture has several practical benefits. Your audio data stays completely private — no copy ever leaves your device. The tools work without an internet connection once the page has loaded. There is no file size limit imposed by server quotas. And there is no account required, no signup, and no data stored about what files you process.

The tools are built with Next.js and React and are delivered as a Progressive Web App (PWA), which means they can be installed on your home screen on mobile or desktop for offline access.

Who Uses PCM Drop?

The tools are used by a wide range of people who encounter audio files in non-standard formats:

  • Developers and engineers working with embedded devices, IoT sensors, and voice capture systems that output raw PCM data.
  • QA and testing teams who need to verify audio output from hardware or software pipelines without setting up a full audio editing suite.
  • Telephony and VoIP teams dealing with call recordings in G.711 PCM format.
  • Audio hobbyists and musicians who need a fast, private way to convert files between formats without uploading to a cloud service.
  • Educators and students learning about digital audio concepts like sample rate, bit depth, and audio formats.

The tone generator in particular is used for speaker and headphone testing, hearing range checks, music tuning reference, and acoustic experiments.

Why It Is Free and How It Is Funded

PCM Drop is free to use with no registration required. The service is funded by display advertising through Google AdSense. Ads are shown alongside the tools and do not interfere with the audio processing functionality. No personal data about your audio files is shared with advertisers — only standard analytics data such as page views, which is common to virtually all ad-supported websites.

If you would like to support the project without ads, using an ad blocker is your choice and we understand it. The tools will continue to work regardless.

Privacy and Data Handling

Your audio files are processed entirely on your device. PCM Drop does not collect, store, or transmit the content of any files you open or convert. The service uses Firebase Analytics to collect anonymised aggregate usage data (page views, feature usage) to understand which tools are most useful and guide development.

For full details, read the Privacy Policy.

Available Tools

  • PCM Player — Play raw PCM files with adjustable sample rate, bit depth, and channels. Export to MP3, WAV, or OGG.
  • Audio Converter — Convert between MP3, WAV, OGG, and WebM directly in your browser.
  • Tone Generator — Generate sine, square, and sawtooth waves from 20 Hz to 20 kHz.
  • Batch PCM Converter — Convert multiple PCM files at once and download results as a ZIP.
  • Play PCM File Online — Quick PCM playback with format settings and waveform preview.
  • Raw Audio Player — Iterate decode settings to find the correct parameters for any raw PCM file.

Contact

Questions, bug reports, or feature requests are welcome via the contact form. We read every message, though response times may vary.