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# AVAudioFormat

An object that describes the representation of an audio format.

```
class AVAudioFormat
```

## Overview

The [`AVAudioFormat`](/documentation/AVFAudio/AVAudioFormat) class wraps Core Audio’s <doc://com.apple.documentation/documentation/CoreAudioTypes/AudioStreamBasicDescription>, and includes convenience initializers and accessors for common formats, including Core Audio’s standard deinterleaved 32-bit floating point format.

Instances of this class are immutable.

## Topics

### Creating a New Audio Format Representation

[`init(standardFormatWithSampleRate:channelLayout:)`](/documentation/AVFAudio/AVAudioFormat/init(standardFormatWithSampleRate:channelLayout:))

Creates an audio format instance as a deinterleaved float with the specified sample rate and channel layout.

[`init(standardFormatWithSampleRate:channels:)`](/documentation/AVFAudio/AVAudioFormat/init(standardFormatWithSampleRate:channels:))

Creates an audio format instance with the specified sample rate and channel count.

[`init(commonFormat:sampleRate:channels:interleaved:)`](/documentation/AVFAudio/AVAudioFormat/init(commonFormat:sampleRate:channels:interleaved:))

Creates an audio format instance.

[`init(commonFormat:sampleRate:interleaved:channelLayout:)`](/documentation/AVFAudio/AVAudioFormat/init(commonFormat:sampleRate:interleaved:channelLayout:))

Creates an audio format instance with the specified audio format, sample rate, interleaved state, and channel layout.

[`init(settings:)`](/documentation/AVFAudio/AVAudioFormat/init(settings:))

Creates an audio format instance using the specified settings dictionary.

[`init(streamDescription:)`](/documentation/AVFAudio/AVAudioFormat/init(streamDescription:))

Creates an audio format instance from a stream description.

[`init(streamDescription:channelLayout:)`](/documentation/AVFAudio/AVAudioFormat/init(streamDescription:channelLayout:))

Creates an audio format instance from a stream description and channel layout.

[`init(formatDescription:)`](/documentation/AVFAudio/AVAudioFormat/init(formatDescription:))

[`init(cmAudioFormatDescription:)`](/documentation/AVFAudio/AVAudioFormat/init(cmAudioFormatDescription:)-8rdfj)

Creates an audio format instance from a Core Media audio format description.

### Getting the Audio Stream Description

[`streamDescription`](/documentation/AVFAudio/AVAudioFormat/streamDescription)

The audio format properties of a stream of audio data.

### Comparing Instances

[`isEqual(_:)`](/documentation/AVFAudio/AVAudioFormat/isEqual(_:))

Indicates whether the audio format instance and a specified object are functionally equivalent.

### Getting Audio Format Values

[`sampleRate`](/documentation/AVFAudio/AVAudioFormat/sampleRate)

The audio format sampling rate, in hertz.

[`channelCount`](/documentation/AVFAudio/AVAudioFormat/channelCount)

The number of channels of audio data.

[`channelLayout`](/documentation/AVFAudio/AVAudioFormat/channelLayout)

The underlying audio channel layout.

[`formatDescription`](/documentation/AVFAudio/AVAudioFormat/formatDescription)

The audio format description to use with Core Media APIs.

### Determining the Audio Format

[`isInterleaved`](/documentation/AVFAudio/AVAudioFormat/isInterleaved)

A Boolean value that indicates whether the samples mix into one stream.

[`isStandard`](/documentation/AVFAudio/AVAudioFormat/isStandard)

A Boolean value that indicates whether the format is in a deinterleaved native-endian float state.

[`commonFormat`](/documentation/AVFAudio/AVAudioFormat/commonFormat)

The common format identifier instance.

[`settings`](/documentation/AVFAudio/AVAudioFormat/settings)

A dictionary that represents the format as a dictionary using audio setting keys.

[`magicCookie`](/documentation/AVFAudio/AVAudioFormat/magicCookie)

An object that contains metadata that encoders and decoders require.

### Constants

[`AVAudioCommonFormat`](/documentation/AVFAudio/AVAudioCommonFormat)

The format options that describe common audio formats.


---

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