The sample format is the way of storing audible
information.
16, 24 and 32 bit samples are always stored in native endian.
This keeps the library and applications simple and clean. Always access
sample buffers like arrays of 8, 16 or 32 bit integers depending on the
sample format, unless data is written with endianness being taken care
of. This does not excuse from endian conversion that might be necessary
when reading data from files.