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Audio Forensics

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(@ckimmel)
Posts: 11
Active Member
Topic starter
 

I apologize if this is in the wrong section….

but I'm looking for a type of software to buy that can perform audio forensics and stand up in a court of law….

I need to be able to view two audio streams at once and correlate where the differences are… any suggestions or product endorsements would be great )

 
Posted : 12/01/2011 11:22 pm
(@forensicakb)
Posts: 316
Reputable Member
 

Audio forensics in some respects is more complicated than computer forensics.

This is another case of not the software but the examiner and his training.

There is no magic software which says see here is where the streams are different. The AF community is very very small, you're best off to hire someone, if you want something to stand in court, saying I downloaded this software and this is where the streams are different isn't going to work.

You might end up looking for speaker identification, and need voice exemplars, or you may need a check to see if a recording was made in a specific room under certain acoustic conditions.

No reason to view AF any different than CF, if you came in and asked how you could compare 2 files and have it stand up in court, people wold tell you to hire someone (maybe they recommend some software, but not with the caveat that you need it to stand up) or to get some training especially if that will be a big part of the case and can be thrown out as you will be found to not have any AF training.

AF also requires good hardware, to go with the software, good processor, good sound card (not the normal audigy, soundblaster, etc) one which doesn't introduce more noise into the examination. Doing an exam on a normal machine would call into question your knowledge of AF based on the selection of hardware.

Did you Bing the topic audio forensic?

 
Posted : 13/01/2011 2:59 am
mgilhespy
(@mgilhespy)
Posts: 102
Estimable Member
 

There is no magic software which says see here is where the streams are different.

There is certainly some software which claims this, although I agree heartily with forensicakb. The one demonstration of audio forensics I've been able to watch involved use of highly specialized equipment and software operated by someone specifically trained to use it.

It's a fascinating topic - I'm going to suggest Jamie invite someone for an interview for the site.

 
Posted : 14/01/2011 12:55 pm
(@forensicakb)
Posts: 316
Reputable Member
 

Mgil,

You are correct, there are some great pieces of software, where CF software can help by saying this file was created and modified on such and such a date, AF software is completely different and it's more the user needs to provide information about the file and facts as well as make some opinions based on the files and their attributes.

Is a cut in the file from a start stop marker, or is it from a cut and paste? Are the frequencies matching up in the spectrograph. Has the file been normalized? Is there a difference in any clipping on the files? Is a difference in a file because the file had gain added and then saved.

Way too many variables, hire someone.

 
Posted : 15/01/2011 3:44 am
jekyll
(@jekyll)
Posts: 60
Trusted Member
 

I use DC Live Forensics. I've got an audio background, so I had a bit of a head start, but it was still quite challenging the first few jobs I did. The problem with Audio Forensics is, it's like a painting. You never quite finish, you just get it to the point where you are happy to surrender and move on.

Yes, you can compare audio streams using it and, without knowing much about your case, I would suggest you might want to be comparing sprectrographs where the freq and amplitude are mapped across time.

 
Posted : 18/01/2011 5:48 am
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