ENF Splice Detection
Definition
Using breaks or discontinuities in the ENF time series to identify edits, cuts, or inserted segments in a recording. A genuine unedited recording should match a single contiguous window in the reference database; a spliced recording typically cannot.
- Core test
- Whether the trace matches one contiguous database window
- Splice signature
- Trace jumps to a non-adjacent time window or breaks
- Requires
- A reference database covering the claimed recording period
- Output type
- Supports or undermines a claim of continuous, unedited audio
Common questions
What is the difference between ENF splice detection and ENF discontinuity analysis?+
Splice detection is the overall test of whether a recording matches one continuous database window; a discontinuity is the specific break found within the trace during that test, which is then classified as a likely deletion, insertion, or splice.
Can splice detection be defeated by re-recording the audio?+
Re-recording near a live mains source can reintroduce a fresh, continuous ENF trace over the edited content, which is why examiners also look for artefacts like double ENF layers, amplitude anomalies, or inconsistencies between the ENF trace and other authenticity indicators rather than relying on trace continuity alone.
Related terms
- Camera Flicker / Optical ENF
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- Cross-Correlation
- A statistical measure of the similarity between two time series as a function of a time lag. In ENF matching, the extracted...
- Electric Network Frequency (ENF)
- The instantaneous frequency of the alternating-current mains supply, nominally 50 Hz in most of the world and 60 Hz in North America....
- ENF Reference Database
- A continuously maintained archive of grid frequency measurements recorded at high temporal resolution, used as the ground truth against which a recording's...
- Geographic Grid Disambiguation
- The process of determining which national or regional grid a recording's ENF trace came from, since the 50 Hz grids of continental...