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Hum Detective — Audio Forensics

Reads the invisible 50/60 Hz mains hum baked into any recording to reveal which power-grid region it was made in — and flags spliced edits. Forensics in your browser.

  • 🎧 Audio Tool
  • ✓ Free
  • ✓ No sign-up
  • ✓ Private — runs in your browser
  • ✓ Any device

Why you’ll love Hum Detective — Audio Forensics

Instant & freeNo signup, no paywall, no limits — Hum Detective — Audio Forensics works the moment the page loads.
Completely privateEverything runs in your browser. Nothing you enter is ever uploaded or stored on a server.
Works on any deviceFully responsive and touch-friendly — use it on your phone, tablet or desktop.
Instant soundPlays in real time in your browser via the Web Audio API — headphones recommended.

How to use it

  1. 01

    Open it

    No download and no login — the tool is ready right at the top of this page.

  2. 02

    Use it

    Enter your details or start interacting. Everything updates live as you go.

  3. 03

    Get your result

    Copy, download or share your result in a single tap. That’s it.

About Hum Detective — Audio Forensics

Every electrical device hums at the frequency of your power grid: 50 Hz in most of Europe, Asia, and Africa, or 60 Hz across the Americas. This background hum gets recorded invisibly into audio—but it's a fingerprint of place and time. Hum Detective performs ENF analysis on any recording to extract this electrical signal, revealing which grid region the audio originated from and whether it's been edited or spliced.

Audio forensics used to mean expensive lab equipment. Hum Detective brings forensic mains hum detection to your browser—no signup, no upload to servers, all analysis runs locally on your device. Submit a recording and get an ENF analysis report that shows grid frequency stability, detects discontinuities that flag spliced sections, and narrows the recording's geographic source.

Whether you're fact-checking a leaked recording, verifying interview authenticity, or investigating whether audio has been tampered with, Hum Detective gives you a concrete forensic tool for detecting audio editing and confirming where a recording was made. Fast, free, and private.

Popular uses

  • ✦ Verify whether a leaked voice recording or interview has been edited or is authentic as originally recorded.
  • ✦ Identify the geographic region where a recording was made by analyzing the power-grid signature baked into the audio.
  • ✦ Detect spliced or patched sections in suspicious recordings by finding frequency discontinuities in the mains hum.
  • ✦ Check recorded statements or testimony for tampering before submitting as evidence or using in journalism.
  • ✦ Audit podcast, video, or podcast audio segments to confirm they haven't been cut and re-stitched out of order.

Frequently asked questions

How does mains hum analysis actually detect edited audio?
When audio is cut and spliced together, the electrical hum often changes frequency or phase at the edit point—the grid's 50/60 Hz reference shifted between the segments. Hum Detective analyzes the consistency of the hum frequency across the entire recording and flags these discontinuities, revealing where splicing likely occurred.
What's the difference between 50 Hz and 60 Hz recordings?
North America, parts of South America, Japan, and a few other regions use 60 Hz grids; Europe, most of Asia, Africa, and Australia use 50 Hz. If you find a recording that hums at a different frequency than the claimed location, it's a red flag for forgery or mis-sourcing.
Does mains hum always show up in recordings?
Mains hum is nearly universal in recordings from devices plugged into the wall or near power infrastructure. Portable battery-only recordings (outdoor, far from power) may have weak or no hum. The stronger the hum signal in your recording, the more reliable the ENF analysis.
Will my audio data stay private?
Yes. Hum Detective runs entirely in your browser—your recording never leaves your device, is never uploaded to a server, and is not stored. Analysis happens locally; once you close the tab, there's no trace.
Is Hum Detective — Audio Forensics free to use?
Hum Detective — Audio Forensics is 100% free — no signup, no watermarks and no usage limits. It’s one of 200+ free tools we build and give away.
Why do I tap once before sound plays?
Browsers require a single tap before playing audio. After that first tap, everything works instantly.

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