software: digital audio Waveform Options

[rxcory]

Are waveform generators and/or viewers commonly used? And which program(s) do you prefer? Are there any free or low-cost options for this kind of software?

My entire CD library is around 1500 - 2000 album titles, mostly AIFF and FLAC, and a few MP3s. I'm currently using Mac OS X and iTunes to catalog, and a free trial of Adobe Audition for waveform/ spectral frequency information viewing. Since my catalog often times consists of multiple versions of any given title, I've found this is an easy way to compare and determine which releases have the best mastering/sonic quality/dynamic range. This goes beyond simply weeding out Loudness Wars casualties, which can be done easily without the aid of pro software.

I'm a new member here at HA, but I've enjoyed the discussion and info here informally over the last couple of years. Please forgive me if this topic has been covered elsewhere ad nauseam. Adobe Audition is great, but quite expensive for someone like me who considers themselves to be a hobbyist. I'm only listening and comparing, not doing any editing, so I don't feel like I'm able to take advantage of everything Audition has to offer. Thanks all, for your advice.

[Brand]

Wavosaur is free and has some nice features, including a generator. There's also Acoustica Basic, which is currently in beta. Both are Windows only, though.

For cross platform, check out the already mentioned Audacity and ocenaudio. Oh and Spek for simple spectrum analysis.

Also, once you get into plugins (VST, AU..) you can get some extra functionality from programs which can host them.