> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.dolva.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Dolva Audio Requirements: Formats, Quality, and Length

> Learn what audio formats, durations, and quality levels work best when uploading files to the Dolva cognitive and emotion analysis endpoints.

Dolva accepts audio files uploaded as `multipart/form-data` in the `audio` field. For best results, your audio should meet the quality and format guidelines described on this page. Poor audio quality — excessive background noise, very low bitrate, or very short clips — can reduce signal accuracy.

## Recommended Formats

Dolva works with common audio formats. The following are recommended for best compatibility and analysis quality:

| Format     | Extension | Notes                                  |
| ---------- | --------- | -------------------------------------- |
| WAV (PCM)  | `.wav`    | Best quality; uncompressed             |
| MP3        | `.mp3`    | Widely supported; moderate compression |
| M4A / AAC  | `.m4a`    | Good quality; common on mobile devices |
| FLAC       | `.flac`   | Lossless compression; large file size  |
| OGG Vorbis | `.ogg`    | Open format; good compression          |

<Tip>When possible, use WAV or FLAC to preserve the full acoustic signal. Heavily compressed formats like low-bitrate MP3 can reduce analysis accuracy.</Tip>

## Recording Guidelines

For accurate cognitive and emotion signal extraction, follow these recording best practices:

* **Minimize background noise** — Record in a quiet environment. Loud background noise (traffic, music, crowd) reduces signal quality.
* **Use a close microphone** — Headset or phone microphone held close to the speaker produces better results than far-field recording.
* **Avoid excessive clipping** — Recording volume should be high enough to be clear but not so high that the audio distorts.
* **Include full utterances** — Clips of at least a few seconds that contain natural speech yield the most reliable signals.

## File Size

Keep audio files to a reasonable size for upload performance. For most conversational recordings, a few minutes of audio is sufficient. Very long files (e.g., several hours) should be split into segments before uploading.

## Mono vs. Stereo

Dolva accepts both mono and stereo audio. If you have a stereo file (e.g., two speakers on separate channels), consider whether you want to analyze the full mix or extract individual channels for per-speaker analysis.

## Language and Accent

Dolva's acoustic models are language-agnostic — they analyze audio signal properties rather than words, so they work across languages and accents without additional configuration.

<Note>If you're unsure whether your audio format is supported, test with a short clip first using the `/v1/analyze/cognitive` or `/v1/analyze/emotion` endpoint. A `422 Unprocessable Entity` response may indicate a format issue.</Note>