What is a .PK file?
A .PK file is a type of file used by certain audio editing software to store a visual representation of an audio waveform. This means it shows the shape and form of the sound waves from an audio file, like those from a .WAV file. When you use programs like Adobe Audition or Cool Edit Pro and you import a .WAV file, these programs automatically create a .PK file. This file is saved in the same folder as the .WAV file you are working with.
The purpose of the .PK file is to make it quicker and easier for the software to show you the audio's waveform each time you open the file. Normally, generating a waveform can take some time, especially with larger audio files, but with a .PK file, the software doesn't have to recreate the waveform from scratch every time. It just uses the saved .PK file to display it quickly.
You can open .PK files with older versions of Adobe Audition (version 4 or earlier) or with Syntrillium software like Cool Edit Pro and Cool Edit 2000. It's important to note that Adobe, which now owns Audition, stopped using .PK files starting from Audition version 4 (CS5.5) and replaced them with .PKF files.
If you are using Adobe Audition 2.0 or later, the software by default creates these peak files for every audio file you open. However, if you prefer not to have these files created automatically, you can change this setting. To do this, go to the 'Edit' menu, select 'Preferences', then 'Display', and uncheck the option that says 'Save Peak Cache Files'.
Adobe acquired Syntrillium, the original creator of Cool Edit Pro, in May 2003 and renamed Cool Edit Pro to Adobe Audition. This means that the newer versions of Adobe Audition are the continuation of the development of Cool Edit Pro.
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