aplay: test_wavefile:807: can't play WAVE-file format 0x0055 !??

[stan]

On Fri, 04 Sep 2009 08:12:29 -0700
jack craig <jackc at linuxlighthouse.com> wrote:

> hi stan,
> 
> may i ask how you made this determination?
> 
> i have long wanted to know how to decipher audio formats at the byte
> level. or did you use the file cmd?
> 
> tia, jackc...
> 
> >> $ file ~/Music/babycry.wav
> >> /home/bill/Music/babycry.wav: RIFF (little-endian) data, WAVE
> >> audio, MPEG Layer 3, mono 11025 Hz
> >>

I used the last line of the file output, MPEG Layer 3 is mp3.
Here is the output from file on a true wav file (a sample from freesound).

uberhuberman_Louisiana_Rain_1.wav: RIFF (little-endian) data, WAVE
audio, Microsoft PCM, 16 bit, stereo 44100 Hz