Workflow guide | 4 min read
Inspecting an audio file, step by step
Read the real specification of a file, sample rate, bit depth, channel count, duration and recorder metadata, before it becomes someone else's problem.
Open the tool: Audio InspectorHow to Inspect an Audio File
Watch the tutorial below to see how to check an audio file's sample rate, bit depth, channel count and metadata directly in your browser.
Watch the video tutorial
Inspect your audio file1. Import
Drop the file you are about to send or about to trust.
- Drop any WAV, AIFF, FLAC, MP3, M4A or OGG file; nothing is uploaded.
- The report appears immediately: format, channels, rate, bit depth and duration.
- Recorder metadata from iXML and bext is shown when present: scene, take, note, track names.
2. Reading the report
Each field answers a different delivery question.
- Sample rate: must match the delivery spec, usually 48 kHz for picture.
- Bit depth: 24 bit for anything that will be mixed, 16 bit only for final delivery.
- Channels: confirms whether the file is mono, stereo or poly, and how many tracks it carries.
- Duration: compare it with the sound report to catch truncated copies.
- Track names: if they are empty, rename during the split so post is not guessing.
3. Export and ZIP
Inspection is read only, but it feeds the export of the other tools.
- Copy the values into your sound report or delivery note.
- If something is wrong, fix it in the matching tool: rate in the converter, order in the mapper.
- Re-inspect the exported file, not the source, before packaging the ZIP you send.
4. Quality control routine
Use the inspector as the last gate before anything leaves your machine.
- Inspect one file per folder at offload, and every file you are about to deliver.
- Compare the inspected values with the spec you were given, field by field.
- Flag any file whose duration or channel count differs from its siblings.
- Keep a short text note per delivery listing rate, depth and channel layout.
Frequently asked questions
- Is anything uploaded when I inspect a file?
- No. The file is read in your browser and never leaves your machine.
- Why are the track names empty?
- The recorder did not write iXML or bext track names. You can name the channels yourself when splitting.
- Can it inspect compressed files?
- Yes. MP3, M4A, OGG and FLAC are decoded and reported, alongside WAV and AIFF.
Keep going
No plugin, no DAW, no upload