Every professional WAV file carries metadata — information embedded in the file header that describes the recording. The two standard metadata formats for broadcast and production audio are bEXT (Broadcast Wave Extension) and iXML. If your WAV files have incorrect, incomplete, or missing metadata, this article explains how to fix it without touching the audio.
What is bEXT metadata?
bEXT stands for Broadcast Wave Extension. It’s a chunk of data added to WAV files by the European Broadcasting Union to carry production metadata. Fields include:
- Description (a free text note)
- Originator (usually the recorder manufacturer or software)
- Originator Reference (a unique identifier)
- Origination Date and Time
- Timecode (BWF Timecode Reference)
What is iXML metadata?
iXML is a more detailed metadata format stored as XML inside the WAV file. It’s used by professional field recorders and post-production systems. iXML fields include:
- Project name
- Scene number
- Take number
- Track names (one per channel)
- Notes
- Additional technical fields
Most professional field recorders write both bEXT and iXML into every recorded file.
When metadata is wrong or missing
Incorrect metadata causes problems downstream. Editors and DAW systems use scene and take information to auto-conform audio to picture. If the scene number is wrong, the audio lands in the wrong place. If track names are missing, the editor can’t tell which channel is the boom and which is the lav.
Editing bEXT and iXML with Wave Copilot
Wave Copilot includes a batch metadata editor that reads and writes both bEXT and iXML. You can select any number of files, update a metadata field, and apply the change to all selected files simultaneously — without affecting the audio data.
Common batch edits:
- Correcting a scene number across an entire shooting day
- Adding a project name to files that were recorded without one
- Setting track names to match the production’s naming convention
- Correcting timecode after a jam sync failure
The editor also includes a timecode calculator — if you know the start timecode of a session, it can calculate the correct timecode for each subsequent file based on duration.
Conclusion
Maintaining clean, accurate metadata in your WAV files saves significant time in post-production and reduces the risk of sync errors. Wave Copilot’s free 14-day trial is a good place to start if your metadata workflow needs improvement.