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Topic: How many times can I convert a wav to flac & then back to wav & so on re Quality (Read 3159 times) previous topic - next topic
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How many times can I convert a wav to flac & then back to wav & so on re Quality

How many times can I convert a wav to flac & then back to wav & so on before quality becomes affected (if at all) and what is the most recommended program to do this?

I ask because although flac is a codec, the programs that use it can vary in quality and I need archive quality?

Many thanks

Re: How many times can I convert a wav to flac & then back to wav & so on re Quality

Reply #1 –
They are both "lossless", so theoretically you could do this an infinite number of times.  FLAC is "archive" quality.  Needless to say, you should have an off-site backup.

Many programs can do the conversion.  Around here, many use foobar2000:
http://www.foobar2000.com/

Re: How many times can I convert a wav to flac & then back to wav & so on re Quality

Reply #2 –
This is equivalent to asking "How many times can I zip and unzip this file on my desktop before it changes the file?"  The answer is, unless there's something seriously wrong, you can do it forever.

Re: How many times can I convert a wav to flac & then back to wav & so on re Quality

Reply #3 –
Quote
I ask because although flac is a codec,

It is and it can be found here: https://xiph.org/flac/
Use this one (wonder if you can find any other  ;)    )
TheWellTemperedComputer.com
 

Re: How many times can I convert a wav to flac & then back to wav & so on re Quality

Reply #4 –
Quote from: Roseval on
It is and it can be found here: https://xiph.org/flac/
Use this one (wonder if you can find any other  ;)    )
That's a good start :-D
what about good old rarewares? Assuming the OP is using Windows, you will find more recent compiles there plus a basic but nice frontend to use for conversions: https://www.rarewares.org/lossless.php

Quote from: Heliologue
This is equivalent to asking "How many times can I zip and unzip this file on my desktop before it changes the file?"  The answer is, unless there's something seriously wrong, you can do it forever.
This is a nice comparison.
Something that might go wrong is faulty hardware, e.g. a HDD or SSD that is dying or a cable not in place, etc.
Nothing but a Heartache - Since I found my Baby ;)

Re: How many times can I convert a wav to flac & then back to wav & so on re Quality

Reply #5 –
Lossless compression does the job of mathematically packing samples so that when unpacked they'll match the original content 100%. Modern-day lossless engines use better analysis, with the advantage of knowing what each sample is composed of, to achieve better compression than older methods like Zip-deflation which are rather blind to what the bits represent.

Considering audio compression isn't blind to samples, and bugs can sometimes be overlooked until fixed, should there be any loss it would be from mid-level conversion such as sample rate or bit depth changes, or outright errors such as a corrupted file. Lossless compression by itself is just that: zero loss when decompressed.

Re: How many times can I convert a wav to flac & then back to wav & so on re Quality

Reply #6 –
flac also has "verify" mode for the maximum paranoia.
Quote
Code: [Select]
encoding options:
-V, --verify                 Verify a correct encoding by decoding the
                             output in parallel and comparing to the
                             original
a fan of AutoEq + Meier Crossfeed

Re: How many times can I convert a wav to flac & then back to wav & so on re Quality

Reply #7 –
Out of shear boredom i encoded and decoded a wave file 50 times and here are the results. should prove the point that as long as your hardware isn't busted you can reencode flac files as many times as you want without loss.

Code: [Select]
flac -5 "01-03. Last Goodbye.wav" -o decode1.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode1.wav decode1.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode1.wav" -o decode2.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode2.wav decode2.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode2.wav" -o decode3.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode3.wav decode3.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode3.wav" -o decode4.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode4.wav decode4.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode4.wav" -o decode5.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode5.wav decode5.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode5.wav" -o decode6.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode6.wav decode6.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode6.wav" -o decode7.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode7.wav decode7.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode7.wav" -o decode8.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode8.wav decode8.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode8.wav" -o decode9.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode9.wav decode9.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode9.wav" -o decode10.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode10.wav decode10.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode10.wav" -o decode11.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode11.wav decode11.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode11.wav" -o decode12.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode12.wav decode12.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode12.wav" -o decode13.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode13.wav decode13.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode13.wav" -o decode14.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode14.wav decode14.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode14.wav" -o decode15.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode15.wav decode15.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode15.wav" -o decode16.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode16.wav decode16.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode16.wav" -o decode17.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode17.wav decode17.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode17.wav" -o decode18.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode18.wav decode18.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode18.wav" -o decode19.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode19.wav decode19.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode19.wav" -o decode20.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode20.wav decode20.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode20.wav" -o decode21.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode21.wav decode21.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode21.wav" -o decode22.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode22.wav decode22.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode22.wav" -o decode23.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode23.wav decode23.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode23.wav" -o decode24.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode24.wav decode24.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode24.wav" -o decode25.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode25.wav decode25.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode25.wav" -o decode26.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode26.wav decode26.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode26.wav" -o decode27.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode27.wav decode27.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode27.wav" -o decode28.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode28.wav decode28.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode28.wav" -o decode29.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode29.wav decode29.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode29.wav" -o decode30.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode30.wav decode30.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode30.wav" -o decode31.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode31.wav decode31.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode31.wav" -o decode32.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode32.wav decode32.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode32.wav" -o decode33.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode33.wav decode33.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode33.wav" -o decode34.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode34.wav decode34.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode34.wav" -o decode35.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode35.wav decode35.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode35.wav" -o decode36.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode36.wav decode36.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode36.wav" -o decode37.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode37.wav decode37.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode37.wav" -o decode38.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode38.wav decode38.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode38.wav" -o decode39.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode39.wav decode39.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode39.wav" -o decode40.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode40.wav decode40.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode40.wav" -o decode41.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode41.wav decode41.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode41.wav" -o decode42.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode42.wav decode42.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode42.wav" -o decode43.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode43.wav decode43.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode43.wav" -o decode44.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode44.wav decode44.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode44.wav" -o decode45.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode45.wav decode45.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode45.wav" -o decode46.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode46.wav decode46.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode46.wav" -o decode47.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode47.wav decode47.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode47.wav" -o decode48.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode48.wav decode48.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode48.wav" -o decode49.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode49.wav decode49.flac -f
flac -5 "Decode49.wav" -o decode50.flac -f & Flac -d -o decode50.wav decode50.flac -f

The Wav Results
Code: [Select]
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode13.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode26.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *01-03. Last Goodbye.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode39.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode14.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode27.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode1.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode40.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode45.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode15.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode28.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode41.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode2.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode16.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode29.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode46.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode42.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode3.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode17.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode30.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode47.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode43.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode4.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode18.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode31.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode48.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode44.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode5.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode19.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode49.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode32.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode6.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode50.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode20.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode33.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode7.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode21.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode34.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode10.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode8.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode22.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode35.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode11.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode9.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode23.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode36.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode12.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode24.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode25.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode37.wav
acc909abfbe9358bc86f43feb0e613daecc5a30bb4c468ebed87aaaee284bc1eda78cd962f8a492addfb6c413367070d0c1821cff42f871351cf0484f196608f *decode38.wav

The FLAC results
Code: [Select]
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode39.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode27.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode14.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode1.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode28.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode15.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode40.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode2.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode45.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode29.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode16.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode41.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode3.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode30.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode46.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode17.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode4.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode42.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode47.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode31.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode18.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode5.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode43.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode48.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode32.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode6.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode44.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode19.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode49.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode33.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode7.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode20.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode50.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode34.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode8.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode21.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode35.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode9.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode11.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode22.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode36.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode10.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode12.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode23.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode37.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode13.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode24.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode25.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode38.flac
d939a13d14b47ea6060261d7fd283ac9534c3d9846ef721cfcf0a53006588339bcc8c72ee9e6eb5afd0a003326ea338fc630e00e151cb67cf5339da64a6ab2ba *decode26.flac
Who are you and how did you get in here ?
I'm a locksmith, I'm a locksmith.

Re: How many times can I convert a wav to flac & then back to wav & so on re Quality

Reply #8 –
The only way you'll ever see a difference, assuming you just went with a format without any integrity checking, like WAV, or without any error recovery, like FLAC:

If your hardware somehow has an oops that doesn't outright crash it, it may result in bad files getting written. It won't result in existing files being changed, unless your oops happened to affect a tag rewrite operation. Again, assuming this oops didn't outright kill your OS session somehow.

Oopses like this, down to hardware failure, or any number of factors, are already incredibly rare.

Basically, just build a good machine from quality components, rip your audio to something like FLAC or WavPack, and possibly also use an integrity checking file system, like ZFS or ReFS (I think). Then worry about your audio being lost with your drives, assuming you didn't also use a redundancy safe system, and also backups, because RAID isn't a backup.

But yeah, doing rapid succession multi-converting with the same tool and identical settings will yield identical files, every time. Different tool, different settings, as long as it's lossless compression, it will result in the same PCM signal in and out, even if the file itself changes. Lossy, you're on your own, it will suffer from generational losses every pass, depending on the codec.

Re: How many times can I convert a wav to flac & then back to wav & so on re Quality

Reply #9 –
In my 20+ years of using computers.  Personal at home use that is.

The issues I've had involving file corruption were 2 due to user error, and 1 due to faulty hardware.

I lost files due to hardware failure twice and not backing stuff up and the hard drive decided to quit.  I took it seriously after that.  Early 2000's.

I lost files due to not checking the back up that they worked correctly themselves, was about 2 small incidents.  Those incidents I was able to fix the problem and re-generate what was lost.

Accidental deletion, well you learn to be more careful and organized after that.

The less often you re-write any part of any file be it tags or something else, the less likely you'll have an opps with them.

For large collections of any kind, be it photos, text documents, videos, or audio you'd be a total idiot not to have working offline back ups and a method for detecting and dealing with file corruption.  Keep your system secure as well.

Re: How many times can I convert a wav to flac & then back to wav & so on re Quality

Reply #10 –
I'm using the 3-2-1 backup method and i haven't lost data in a very long time.

3 backups
2 different media
1 offsite
Who are you and how did you get in here ?
I'm a locksmith, I'm a locksmith.

Re: How many times can I convert a wav to flac & then back to wav & so on re Quality

Reply #11 –
Thanks everyone.