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XSB WAV
File conversion

Convert XSB to WAV

Verified by Adam B.· reviewed by FE Editorial ·updated Sep 9, 2026
QUICK ANSWER
Is it possible to convert XSB to WAV?
Yes - XSB converts to WAV.

The .xsb stores only sound cue metadata; the audio waveforms are in the matching .xwb wave bank from the same game folder. Use unxwb, towav, or xactbnk on the .xwb to extract WAV files, and optionally pass the .xsb to unxwb with the -x flag to name output files by cue name rather than by number.

Also to WAV: PCM · GSM · WV

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Tested on macOS, Windows & Linux
Last verified Oct 2026

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Why convert XSB to WAV?

Modders and fans extracting sound effects or music from older PC and Xbox 360 games built with Microsoft XACT/XNA need .wav files they can use in other software. WAV is uncompressed and universally supported, making it the natural first target for game audio extraction. The .xsb holds only playback rules and cue names; the paired .xwb wave bank contains the actual waveform data.

How to convert XSB to WAV

unxwb FREE

Point unxwb at the .xwb file and optionally pass the .xsb with the -x flag to name extracted files by cue name. WAV files are written to the specified output folder.

towav FREE

Run towav against the .xwb file; WAV files are written to the current directory. The .xsb is not required but can be used alongside for naming reference.

xactbnk FREE

Load the .xsb in xactbnk to browse cue names, then point it at the matching .xwb to extract specific cues or all audio as WAV.

About these formats

.XSB XACT Sound Bank

An XSB file is an XACT Sound Bank created by Microsoft's game-audio tool. It holds sound and cue definitions for games built with XACT or XNA, but contains no actual audio data. To get the…

Open .XSB details →
.WAV Waveform Audio File Format

A WAV file is an uncompressed digital audio file introduced by Microsoft and IBM in 1991. Double-click one and it plays in Windows Media Player, macOS Music/QuickTime, or VLC on any system.…

Open .WAV details →

Quality & what to watch

  • The .xsb contains no audio; always run extraction tools against the .xwb wave bank - pointing any tool at the .xsb alone will produce nothing playable.
  • Both files must come from the same game version; mismatched .xsb and .xwb files will produce incorrect cue names or fail to extract correctly.
  • Some wave banks from Xbox 360-era games store audio in XMA format rather than PCM; check your tool's documentation for XMA support before extracting.

Frequently asked questions

I only have the `.xsb` file - can I get audio from it?
No. The .xsb is metadata only; without the matching .xwb wave bank there is no audio to extract.
Will the extracted WAV files lose quality?
No - extraction tools dump exactly what is stored in the wave bank, so PCM audio is extracted losslessly.
Why does the `.xsb` exist if the audio is in the `.xwb`?
XACT separates cue metadata (small, loaded at startup) from waveform data (large, streamed on demand) for game engine performance.
What if the extracted audio sounds garbled?
The wave bank may use XMA compression (an Xbox 360 audio format); check whether your version of the extraction tool supports XMA decoding.