Miscellaneous

AuCDtect

A free console program for determining the authenticity of musical CD's. By evaluating the character of audio data a CD contains, it can distinguish between original studio-based recordings and those that have been "reconstructed" using a lossy audio source,

Lots of people struggle to detect any difference between CD quality and high bit rate MP3.
Programs like these are like us, at high bit rates they guess wrong.

There are no reliable techniques to discern high bit rate MP3 from lossless (except buying the original of course).

Audio DiffMaker

Audio DiffMaker is a freeware tool set intended to help determine the absolute difference between two audio recordings, while neglecting differences due to level difference, time synchronization, or simple linear frequency responses.

The difference recording that results is only what has changed between the two recordings. If anything - a change of component, a treatment, mechanical damping, etc. - is having any audible effect on the audio signal in a system, the difference recording will have audible content. The end result is primarily intended to be evaluated by ear.

ASF view

A tool by Microsoft, tells you everything about the contents of an audio file.

 

DeGlitch

DeGlitch is designed to detect and correct isolated bad samples in digital audio files caused by ripping damaged CDs or discs that do not meet the CD standard (i.e. copy protected). These errors are generally heard as clicks, although they can also occur in bursts that sound more like crackle. DeGlitch will not work at all on the clicks found in vinyl rips (which span many consecutive samples) and will not work as well with audio that has been compressed (except lossless). Its algorithm will also fail in error bursts where more than 1/3 of the samples are corrupted, although these will normally occur only with deeply scratched CDs.

HOLMImpulse

HOLMImpulse is a freeware program for frequency- and impulse-response measurement of speaker systems.

 

The goals for the application

• Measure Impulse-response
• Measure Phase-response
• Measure Frequency-response
• Measure Harmonic distortion (THD)
• Make bandwidth limited measurements with no phase-errors
• Compare measurements
• Import Frequency- & Impulse-response
• Export Frequency- & Impulse-response
• Using open format for saved files (zip, wav/flac, txt)

An interesting discussion on DiyAudio.com

MP3Checker

If all your MP3s plays fine but a single one causes problems you might try this tool.

MP3 Checker uses 3 independent methods to detect all kinds of different fake MP3s:
• MPEG Header Frames verification: corrupted MP3s
• Reads audio data using rule based checking: fake MP3s
• Cross reference for repeated mpeg audio frames: repeated or looped mp3s

Sonic Visualiser