Check Your FLACs! Are they REAL or FAKE? - Thundr

Hello, Thundr here. This post is important to share because recently I checked "Agneepath (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)" FLACs and were found to be not that great. They were sourced from Qobuz (Trust worthy source of high quality music). This alerted me to make you learn how to correctly check your FLACs!

Looks like a 128k fake FLAC file. That's why there is a need to check FLAC files.

Use any of the methods below

Divided in 4 levels:

1. Easiest
2. Quite easy
3. Ok bro
4. Degree level

1. Easiest

To check if FLACs are real or fake there is a software called Fakin' The Funk. It scans your local directory filled with songs and tells the result in status column as 👍 or 👎!

Easy Right? Yeah, awesome as a starter. You can even delete all fake FLACs scanned in one click! But remember this is easy because it's not fool-proof. Way better methods below!

2. Quite Easy

The video explains for probable kHz for fake and real FLACs. The software used here is Spectro.

Real FLAC	No Cut-Off
320k Fake FLAC	~20.3kHz
256k Fake FLAC	~19.6kHz
192k Fake FLAC	~16.5kHz
128k Fake FLAC	~16.5kHz

Though this isn't a rule but just ok as a reference. While reading and analyzing the spectrogram of any FLAC file you can refer these. If there is no cut-off then they should be Real FLACs.

See the cut-off is shown at 16.9kHz in the Spectro software. It's between 19.6kHz and 16.5kHz so it's probably a 192k fake FLAC or a 128k fake FLAC!

Now it's more clearer than the previous method. This too can have false positives.

3. Ok bro

More accuracy? Really concerned about the quality?

In this video, the fake MP3s are analyzed. Still applies pretty much same for FLACs. Not always size, bitrate or even spectrogram of music files can ensure you it's authenicity!

It's a great introduction to what we look for in a spectrogram of Hi-FI music file, is the no cut-off situation at higher frequencies. That's where the Hi-Fi audio resides.

At last it's on how good the file sounds. Knowledge upto this level is quite ok, if you are really involved in this learning head to the "Degree level" hehe!

4. Degree level

Not necessary to watch. But good for further knowledge. Watch this video: https://youtu.be/MiKa7LKXpfk?t=255 You might think do we really hear difference in 16-Bit and 24-Bit Music? Let's learn what it actually is, and how it affects our hearing experience.

Fine! That's all I've got to share. I know I'm not fully knowledgable to teach this and the information might not be completely accurate, so consider, I just led you towards a way you didn't know.

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