Forensic audio enhancement is the scientific analysis and improvement of audio clarity, typically to improve intelligibility. Although the term is "enhancement", the process is almost entirely composed of

filtering Filtration is a physical process that separates solid matter and fluid from a mixture. Filter, filtering, filters or filtration may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * Filter (higher-order function), in functional programming * Fil ...

away unwanted sounds in order to leave a more understandable version.

Admissibility as evidence

* The processes applied must adhere to the

standards of evidence In a legal dispute, one party has the burden of proof to show that they are correct, while the other party has no such burden and is presumed to be correct. The burden of proof requires a party to produce evidence to establish the truth of facts ...

in order to be admissible in a

court of law A court is an institution, often a government entity, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between Party (law), parties and Administration of justice, administer justice in Civil law (common law), civil, Criminal law, criminal, an ...

. The audio expert must be able to document the steps they took, these steps must be replicable, no data can be created, and no judgment based edits or deletions can occur. Changes in pitch or speed can also render a recording inadmissible. * The courts may require proper

chain of custody Chain of custody (CoC), in legal contexts, is the chronological documentation or paper trail that records the sequence of custody, control, transfer, analysis, and disposition of materials, including physical or electronic evidence. Of particul ...

documentation with this evidence. This includes appropriate precautions to ensure that the evidence is properly protected and stored. * If the enhancement is performed using commercially available software, proof of vendor specified training and proficiency may be required.

References

Audio enhancement Audio most commonly refers to sound, as it is transmitted in signal form. It may also refer to: Sound *Audio signal, an electrical representation of sound *Audio frequency, a frequency in the audio spectrum *Digital audio, representation of sound ...

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