When I load a original ripped WAV file into CoolEdit, it will open as having a samplerate of 44101. If I save a copy of this file, it will save losslessly, being bit-identical to the "original ripped WAV file".

If I load this "original ripped WAV file" into Audacity, it will open as having a samplerate of 44100. If I save a copy of this file, it won't save losslessly, and there will be 98% different from the "original ripped WAV file", although the files will have same byte length in size.

If I change the samplerate in Audacity to 44101, then it will save just like Cooledit, losslessly and it will be bit-identical...

Now what's happening here... What's the standard......????

Are you using that bastardized slang "ripped" to mean 'extracted from an audio CD'? It is widely used in so many ways by so many people to essentially say “I have no idea what I am actually doing” that some clarification is necessary.

I have never seen an example of an extracted audio CD track with a sample rate of 44101, in CoolEdit or any other program to which I’ve paid any attention. Either you aren’t dealing with an extracted audio CD track, or something on your system is faulty is a very strange way.

Well Cooledit is saying is 44100 in the main panel, but in the WAVE properties, it will tell that the Sample Period: 1/44101.

Anyone with CoolEdit and Audacity can CONFIRM this behaviour.
And my system is not faulty.

You never answered the question about what the file you are using actually is.

Main panel?
WAVE properties?

The open file dialogue will display some file properties. I’ve not noticed any errors there.

I’m guessing you are referring to the Waveform View as the 'main panel'. It displays sample rate and bit dept, in the lower right corner, correctly under any conditions I've noticed. It is based on the file header, however. If you change that, the display changes accordingly. I suppose the info in the open file dialogue also depends on the file header.

Is there another program view, not in my version of the program? I can’t find anything labeled 'WAVE properties'.

when you open the wave, if you right-click in any area inside the WAV graph, the context-menu will have a last option called "Wave Properties..."

No context menu from right clicking. Guess I don’t have the right version, although what I do get from right clicking I use all the time and would certainly miss it.

I open an extracted audio CD track in Audacity, making sure that the program preferences are not set to convert everything to 32 bit float, then Export as WAV to a new name. I make no changes to sample rate, which is displayed correctly as 44100.

I open the extracted track in CoolEdit.
I do a Mix Paste with Overlap (mix) and Invert, using the Audacity output file.
The result is all digital zeros. The output file from Audacity exactly cancels the original from the CD. All seems right with the digital universe.

I hope these screenshots show something...
Thanks for looking this up Andy-Ha...

Did you check the help file?

I didn't put that 44101 there... it came as default... and when you save the file as Microsoft WAV, without any setting, the copy WAV will be lossless as the original...

Strangely, in Audacity, if you DO CHANGE that same option in the program to 44101 (displayed as 44100) it will also save it losslessly compared to the original. But if you save as 44100 (the default loaded samplerate) it will be 99% different data.

I think that if you change that number in CoolEdit, to 44100... and save a copy of the WAV, it won't be lossless.

I would have thought that what is important is what is shown on the status line at the foot of both images which is that the audio has a samplerate of 44100. What may be shown as the 'sample period' conforms to what greynol has indicated.

ok forget the sampling rate.

but would anyone tell me why the CoolEdit is saving a lossless copy whereas Audacity is not...

Well, I can find 'Sampler Information' from the menu and it does have 44101 in the Sample period box. While I don’t know just what it means, it has already been pointed out that it isn’t necessarily relevant. It seems to be information for some external processes. Unlike Adjust Sample Rate, changes here don’t even effect the file header.

Is your Audacity 'Save' the 'Export As WAV' option, or have you found something else there too? My use of Audacity is very limited, but I’ve never noticed any errors. The 'Export' gives me exactly what the program opened.

yes, I'm exporting... though... the output is set for Microsoft WAV Signed PCM 16-bit. I don't get the same file....
I did this on 1.2.6 ...

I just look at the TOTAL COMMANDER binary comparison result... there first and the last lines are spotted red (different)... could this be metadata???

Edit: I am doing this with other WAV files and it is OK now... but SOME WAV files do get saved differently, this could be metada?

Example of a WAV file not saved as the same:
Look at those properties in FB2K.


Edit 2: Just learned that if I re-open the AUDacity saved WAV and re-exporting it, it will give identical file.
This is a sign that some information is not getting saved from that first original WAV... (a header??)