Using st5s
As opposed to traditional "wholefile md5" checks, the fantastic audio file utility shntool has the ability to create an md5 check of just the encoded PCM wav data contained within a given lossless file. st5 can perform an anlysis of virtually any lossless file type you have installed on your system. The clear advantage is that users can change from one format to another, add file tags, add or update seek tags, or any other number of things that perviously would have changed the wholefile md5 check. Yet using the st5, files with identical audio content will have the same checksum regardless of what extra, format changes, etc it has been through so long as the audio remains the same, the container can change at the will of any trader. Before proceeding with this tutorial, please ensure you have shntool installed. If you do not have it installed, please do; it's simply priceless software.
Indicendtally, the st5 of a FLAC file is identical to it's FLAC fingerprint, as both are checking for the same thing: pure audio content [the hash values are also identical, only formatting is different]. If you use the FLAC fingerprint (ffp) for FLAC seeds, st5 is redundant. [st5 is the best choice of the two, or both okay. md5 not necessary.]
The st5 function is most easily run with a
DOS batch file to automate the command line switches. Create a new batch file with the following text. This will run and st5 check on every shn, flac, wav, or ape file within the folder and report the result to a file named st5.txt which will be placed in the same folder. Note that sometimes this can can be somewhat slow, epscially with ape files. To ensure that every file is checked, please wait until "Press Any Key To Continue" appears in the command line window running the script.
Code:
@echo off
%~d1 & cd %*
for %%T in (shn flac wav ape) do if exist *.%%T shntool hash *.%%T>>st5.txt
pause
Save and close the batch file. Now simply take any folder that contains any shn, flac, ape, or wav files that you'd like to check and drag it onto the batch file. A command line window will pop up yet remain blank during the time that it is testing and recording the st5. After completion, you can check the st5.txt file and/or rename it however you see fit.
Circulating an st5 with your original seeds will allow traders to track and confirm their source without being restricted to any given format to tagging scheme. It will allow traders to focus on the only important thing: the perfect duplication of audio content from trade to trade. Though shntool is somewhat tricky to setup, st5s are a big help to traders and always a welcome addition to any seed.