I got started using the built-in sound processing from Exact Audio Copy, in the fairly early days of HA. I still use it and am comfortable with it, although I'm older and have a family so I don't do much anymore.
EAC's sound processor is limited to normal CD-rip (44.1 16-bit stereo wav) files, and I'm increasingly getting lossless files with higher samplerate or bitdepth (e.g., buying remastered albums through Bancamp).
I've thought for over a decade that I should switch audio editors, but haven't put time into figuring out something that can handle a wider range of files.
Things I like about EAC's sound processing:
* basic wavform display, can zoom in horizontally (time interval) and vertically (wavform height)
* can click on individual samples to see/edit the exact value
* interval bars for CD audio frames (588 samples, 75 per second at 44.1khz)
* options such as "select peak range" and "scale selection"
* doesn't change any sample values unless I tell it to (which I expect to be standard behavior for handling any lossless file)
Audacity is the audio editor I'm most aware of, and I know it handles a wider range of file specifications and types. Will it (or some other app) do the things I'm looking for that EAC's editor does?
Here are a couple screenshots of EAC's built-in sound processing function, at varying degrees of zoom-in:
Okay - took the time to read up on Audacity handling lossless without changing anything (except where I ask it to, of course), and it basically comes down to "turn off dither". Audacity loads each sample in as floating-point 32-bit, but when saving/exporting that will go back to the same 16-bit or 24-bit value (as long as export settings are lined up with the bitdepth of the original file).
I'm sure I'll get used to the interface after a bit. Should have probably done this a decade ago.