Is there a program that verify the quality of lossless files?

[japc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bubblegum /img/forum/go_quote.gif You miss the point. You can buy lossless music from some stores (especially in the electronic music genre). Labels provide WAVs to the store that sell them as is and encode it to other format and sell those as well. There is some not very scrupulous label that could supply a mp3 converted to WAV to the store. There are some programs (like Audiochecker - Download) that can analyze the audio and tell if it's likely to be lossy or not. It's not infaillible though.

Yeah, I got it later on the thread :|

 

[Chri5peed]

Grab something like Adobe Audition. Load up a 'FLAC' and run a spectral analysis.

Pretty easy to spot a lossless file, no cut-offs.

 

[japc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chri5peed /img/forum/go_quote.gif Grab something like Adobe Audition. Load up a 'FLAC' and run a spectral analysis. Pretty easy to spot a lossless file, no cut-offs. (image removed)

These look much better than on Audacity. Their choice of colours gives the creeps.

 

[paaj]

theoretically a nice simple way to do it, but i think mp3 above 192kb doesn't use obvious cut-off?
... checking ...
I checked I noticed a less dense top end with 256kb in audacity. so it's still visible.

 

[japc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by paaj /img/forum/go_quote.gif theoretically a nice simple way to do it, but i think mp3 above 192kb doesn't use obvious cut-off? ... checking ... I checked I noticed a less dense top end with 256kb in audacity. so it's still visible.

Yes, me too. I could see obvious diferences from a 256Kbps and FLAC (see, not hear, too bad, seeing now I will hear it also, it's called placebo :|).

Looking at the spectral analysis graph you can see that it the mp3 doesn't extend to higher frequencies (top of it). Lower Kbps mp3 is just too obvious. You can't get those frequencies back with transcoding.

 

[Chri5peed]

Its very obvious lossy V lossless.

Every lossy[mp3, AAC, Vorbis, WMA...] has a cut-off, the amount varies with bitrate. Why I love FLACs, so easy to self-check.

 

[Goratrix]

Quote:

Originally Posted by paaj /img/forum/go_quote.gif theoretically a nice simple way to do it, but i think mp3 above 192kb doesn't use obvious cut-off?

it does. current LAME on -V2 has a cutoff at 18600 Hz, on -V0 at 19500, I think.

 

[Chri5peed]

^ Sorry do not know its abbreviation, but fHg mp3 has really low cut-off...precisely why it is hated.

 

[blackdakhma]

Quote:

Yes, me too. I could see obvious diferences from a 256Kbps and FLAC (see, not hear, too bad, seeing now I will hear it also, it's called placebo :|).

I have that placebo effect going on as well. I can have a 256/320 Kbps song and enjoy it thoroughly, but if I get the FLAC, I'll start hearing things that got lost. So it's not so much that the audio is ruined with lossy conversion, but there's just audio lost.

 

[charliko]

I have no way to tell what the file type is as I try to move files to a new player.  I would like to know I have the lossless version and not otherwise.  Mpeg4A is not necessarily Apple Lossless!
 
Any one with a simple idea to do this?  I would be most appreciative.
 
-charlie

 

[Roseval]

Technically it is easy to convert any audio format to any other audio format.
To detect if a lossless format contains audio from a lossy source is pretty hard.
As far as I know there are no programs that can detect this in a reliable way.
We struggle to hear the difference between high bit rate MP3 and the lossless original, likewise these programs do.
 
An option might be PerfectTunes.
It checks the recording against the AccurateRip database.
If the checksum can be found in the database it is likely a lossless recording

 

[Benny-x]

Have a look at MusicScope, it does a lot of audiophile friendly different functions, but one of them is is looking at the spectral graph for cuts offs, indicating a lossy(.mp3) sourc, and not a true lossless one. I like it and basucakky bought it to check lossless downloads from HD Tracks and the like, because even they might not be aware that the label is supplying them only trans-coded files...

 

[bgentry]

I have no way to tell what the file type is as I try to move files to a new player.  I would like to know I have the lossless version and not otherwise.  Mpeg4A is not necessarily Apple Lossless!

The bitrate tells you the whole story in this case. Look at the files in your player and sort by bitrate. Bitrates of up to 1440 are CD quality, with most clocking in around the 750 to 950 mark for FLAC files. I'd expect Apple Lossless (ALAC) to have very similar bitrates. AACs, on the other hand will have bitrates of up to 250 with most being lower.

Brian.

 

[charliko]

Thanks for your reply.  It has been most helpful, and least espensive!