Topic: Is there a way to verify a lossless source?

[~sin213~]

I am pretty sure there is a way to do it, but I don't know how.

If I wanted to know whether a source was truely lossless, is that possible and what program would you use to do it?

I have Audition 1.5 and EAC (of course).  Can either of these programs do it?

[macacopowa]

here a link HOw To Detetct an MP3 source http://www.audiohub.org/get/fa/fa.htm
The key are the Frequency and Spectral Analysis

[Ryan Sims]

Audition is the best way, IMO.  Check this thread over at The Trader's Den also.  That place is a good resource for this sort of information.

[JasonR]

I would argue that, for the most part, you can't tell except with a combination of the supposed source information, and the frequency response, and even then it's rarely certain.  If the source is a 12-bit (ie: LP) DAT recording, or was captured from a radio broadcast, the HF loss above 16kHz that folks identify as MP3 could have nothing to do with MP3 compression at all.

- Jason

[Ryan Sims]

Radio is certainly identifiable with the easily visible carrier tone at 19 khz.  The low frequency DAT tapes also have a significantly different appearance from lossy compression when checking the spectrum.  The frequency analysis is not at all the only way to do things.  Spectral analysis reveals much more.

[it-goes-to-eleven]

Baudline is one of the better forensic audio tools I know of... It is free but I think linux only.

[pigiron]

Baudline is one of the better forensic audio tools I know of... It is free but I think linux only.

oh man... this thing's beautiful!  I missed this bugger when I went hunting and ended up using snd. Thanks!

Only wish it was open source.

[~sin213~]

This is all great info!  I have always wondered how to read those spectral and frequency graphs.  The provided links helped immensly!

Thanx everyone!

[BobW]

Don't doubt your ears.

Make 128 bitrate MP3s and compare them to the source wavs.
You will hear the difference on a good system.

Now try it with 192 bitrate MP3s.
Once you know what to listen for from the lower speed samples, the higher speed ones become more discernable.

Spectrum, punch and attack, clarity and accuracy of HF, and that damnable phasiness is what I hear as big differences.

Verify ?  Not 100% without knowing the processing chain. There is no header that passes on a file which shows that it is decoded from an MP3 to my knowledge.

 It's all about the sound.