Stems and bounced WAVs are what producers, mix engineers and songwriters actually send to each other. When a collaboration goes wrong or a track turns up under someone else’s name, those files become the evidence. Audio files do carry some dates, but not the kind anyone else can trust. Here is what WAV and Broadcast Wave files store, what is weak, and what to freeze.
Short answer: WAV dates and Broadcast WAV fields are written by your own DAW and computer, so they are easy to change. To show stems or bounces existed before a date, timestamp the exact WAV files with TimeBinder before you send them to anyone. A TimeBind shows that the exact file existed no later than the recorded time and still matches its fingerprint. It doesn’t show who made it or what a court will make of it.
Disclosure: I’m Inna Hall, co-founder of TimeBinder, the file timestamping tool this guide uses. This page is general information, not legal advice.
Table of Contents
What WAV and BWF files store
- Plain WAV (RIFF): the audio format plus the samples. Many WAVs have no date inside at all.
- Broadcast Wave (BWF) bext chunk: defined by the EBU, it holds a description, an originator (usually the recorder or DAW name), an originator reference, an origination date and time, a time reference, and a coding history. Pro Tools, many field recorders and several other DAWs write it.
- iXML: an XML chunk many recorders use for scene, take, track names and notes.
- LIST INFO chunk: simple tags such as title, artist and a creation date (ICRD).
- File system dates, which change when stems are copied, zipped, downloaded or synced.
Why those dates are easy to challenge
The origination date is written by whatever recorded or bounced the file, using that device’s clock, and tag editors can change it. Re-bouncing gives new dates, and many sharing services transcode or strip chunks. The time reference in the bext chunk looks like a time but is really a timeline position. So the dates help you organise a session; they don’t show anyone else when a file existed.
What to freeze
- The stems exactly as sent, ideally zipped once into a single archive so the set can be checked together.
- The mix or bounce (WAV) and any MP3 preview you share.
- The session or project, collected with its audio, at the same milestone.
- Lyrics and a split sheet when others contributed. The free split sheet generator makes one in minutes.
A simple routine
- Bounce the stems and mix, check them, and stop editing those files.
- Zip the stem folder once and keep that exact zip.
- TimeBind the zip, the mix and any preview MP3 together in TimeBinder.
- Send the same files you TimeBound, and keep the certificate with the session backup.
Which plan fits
The free plan gives you 1 Token a month, which is one Pooled TimeBind of up to 10 files. No credit card is required for the free plan. A Pooled TimeBind is usually recorded within 24 to 48 hours, and often sooner, depending on Bitcoin network activity; an ASAP TimeBind costs 3 Tokens and gets its own Bitcoin transaction straight away.
For more milestones, Essential is US$20 a month for 5 Tokens (5 Pooled, or 1 ASAP plus 2 Pooled). Expert is US$50 a month for 15 Tokens (15 Pooled or 5 ASAP), and unused Tokens roll over. Verification is free. See pricing.
What a timestamp does and doesn’t do
TimeBinder anchors each file’s SHA-256 fingerprint to Bitcoin and gives you a Proof of Time Certificate. That is verifiable evidence of when a file existed: it shows the file existed no later than the anchor date, and any later change to the file is detectable. An ASAP TimeBind can be checked directly on the Bitcoin blockchain without relying on TimeBinder; a Pooled TimeBind is verified through TimeBinder. Your file is hashed in your browser and never uploaded.
It doesn’t show who made the work or who owns it, it doesn’t stop copying, and it doesn’t cover a version you didn’t timestamp. Splits and ownership come from what collaborators agreed. See timestamping EP masters and stems before release, proving an Ableton project existed and music copyright proof.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a WAV file store a recording date?
Plain WAV files often store none. Broadcast Wave (BWF) files add a bext chunk with an origination date and time, and some WAVs carry a creation date in a LIST INFO chunk. All of these are written by the recorder or DAW from its own clock.
Why do my stems have different fingerprints every time I bounce them?
Bouncing writes a new file with new metadata, such as the origination date and time, even if the audio is identical. Timestamp the exact files you send, and don’t re-bounce them afterwards.
Is the bext Time Reference a date?
No. It is a sample count since midnight that tells a DAW where the file sits on the session timeline. It is useful for lining up stems, not for proving when they were made.
Should I timestamp MP3 previews too?
Yes, if that is what you send. The MP3 is the file a label, artist or beat buyer will have. ID3 tags can include a year or date, but those are typed in or set by your software.
Plan details were checked against timebinder.io/pricing on 29 October 2026.
