TTA (True Audio) File Signature: 54 54 41 31 (Magic Number)

A True Audio file starts with the ASCII identifier TTA1, the format tag of its 22-byte header. The channel count, bit depth, sample rate and total samples follow it, closed by a checksum.

What this magic number means

A magic number is a short, fixed run of bytes at a known position that tells a program what a file really is, no matter what the filename says. If a file starts with the bytes 54 54 41 31 (the text TTA1), it is a TTA (True Audio) file.

Formats that use the 54 54 41 31 signature

These file types in our database carry this signature:

How to check a file's signature

You can read the first bytes of any file yourself. The magic bytes are shown in hex, the same way this page lists them.

Linux & macOS

xxd -l 16 example.tta
hexdump -C -n 16 example.tta
file example.tta

Windows (PowerShell)

Format-Hex -Path example.tta -Count 16

Python

open("example.tta","rb").read(4).hex()

In your browser

Drop the file into the WhatFileType identifier, which reads the signature without uploading it.

Frequently asked questions

What is the TTA (True Audio) file signature?

TTA (True Audio) files start with the hex bytes 54 54 41 31 (TTA1 in ASCII). This magic number identifies the format regardless of the file's name or extension.

How do I check a file's magic number?

Open the file in a hex editor, or run a command such as xxd -l 16 example.tta on Linux or macOS, or Format-Hex -Path example.tta -Count 16 in Windows PowerShell, and read the first bytes.

Can a file fake the TTA (True Audio) signature?

Renaming a file does not change its bytes, so the extension can lie but the signature usually cannot. A genuine TTA (True Audio) file has these exact bytes; a file with the wrong bytes is not really TTA (True Audio), whatever its name says.

TTA (True Audio) file signature