good question , i didn't downloaded the soundtrack so i can't really tell.

there're some tools for checking if a soundtrack isn't transcoded from a lossy format.

But as you pointed out earlier, it's possible GOG offered a transcoded version , or the version had some "issues"
Still i really think it would be stupid if GOG offered a lossless soundtrack without Inxile agreement. -_-

But I'm clueless, only Judas will be able to really answer this.

I've been meaning to track down an open-source, Linux version of such a tool for ages but never had the time. Do you happen to know any names I could use as starting points for my search?

well i could try to give you some directions :

http://spectro.enpts.com/index.php
http://spek.cc/ -> has a linux version

or a more complete tool such as audacity or adobe audition (the demo version should be enough , never tried though : the full product isn't cheap ^^ )

normaly a transcoded soundtrack (lossy -> lossless) has its high frequencies cut-off. But well you need to do this one track after another. (this isn't a perfect solution though)

as mentioned above checks aswell the bitrate that's another indication (under 500 kb/s) it's usually a fake.

some analysers which can check a whole list of audio files exist, (but ain't reliable at 100%), plus one of them is too old and for the other , its download section isn't working.

i still put the page here : http://y-soft.org/English/products/auCDtect-Task-Manager/

i would start with a spectrum analyser (linked at the start of this post)

Thanks. My long-term goal is to integrate batch "greater than X probability that this was transcoded" detection into a collection organizer which also does things like checking the tags against MusicBrainz, so I'm getting the impression I'll have to dive into the academic literature and write what I need myself, but Spek and anything I can glean from the others may still be helpful.

no problem ;)

i don't have a lot of knowledge in the audio stuffs, only what i read / learnt from pasts years.

also if you don't know it yet

this wiki is very usefull :

http://wiki.hydrogenaud.io/index.php?title=Main_Page

I've looked at track 01 of both the mp3 and flac versions with spek. The mp3 version has a clear cutoff line at 16kHz (though with many peaks above that) while the flac version doesn't have that and fills the whole frequency range. So it seems to me it was the real deal.
But judge for yourselves.

not doubt, the FLAC version was the real deal , it was removed by publisher request (PM from Judas)

Anyway that's pretty lame .... customer wise (whoever is at fault there)

So... now we don't even get a public reply on these things? Did Judas reply to a PM of yours on this?

I guess we can't trust anyone anymore. Lesson learnt - download everything immediately.


Here's your answer on what is whose fault.

inXile just wants us to fork out another $10 on Bandcamp if we want the lossless format, and GOG goes the silent route.

Indeed Judas replied through a PM , because i asked why the FLAC was no more avaible as download

but the answer was pretty short : "It was removed by publisher request. Sorry." ..... no more details.... :|

side note : the gamecard has been updated

so it's crystal clear : InXile want the soundtrack (lossless) be bought through bandcamp

two points though :

the ranger edition (boxed copy) comes with a CD of the soundtrack (most likely lossless)

I don't understand why GOG didn't put the FLAC soundtrack in the digital deluxe version , it would have made more sense....

We'll never know if GOG intended to make a public statement about it, I mean, now that mrkgnao and the users raised awareness to the issue. Not to mention that GOG has a tendency to be as subtle as possible about things that affect users in a negative way and acts retroactively if they can't avoid it.

If inXile demanded the FLACs be pulled there's nth GOG could have done to keep them in both or either edition.

And I don't see what the Ranger Edition has to do with anything.

That is actually pretty lame for their part. I received an email saying that the matter is resolved. But that was a week ago and nothing was done until now.

you don't ?

http://vgmdb.net/album/38503

this version costs around 40 euros , has the soundtrack on a CD (most likely lossless) , but yeah you need Steam.

that's why i mentioned the ranged edition

Putting the Steam aspect aside, retail and digital editions always have differences, digital content included - just another way to pull more money out of gamers.

IMHO, the focus should be on the troubling issue that the FLACs were here and then pulled by publisher request, and GOG complying (as they should apparently) in a way that indicates no respect for their users - completely silently and on a Sunday evening/ night.
If it wasn't for mrkgnao's efforts, there's a good chance that it would have gone unnoticed for a long time.

Well, that's unfortunate, to say the least.

And now It's clear why it was done yesterday - today everyone is busy with that Mutator Promo to notice it.

Well done, GOG! /S