Checker

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Learn how to use it

A validator for LibriVox audio files

Checker is an open source tool that analyzes recordings for LibriVox, a site where volunteers collaborate to make audio books of public domain texts. Checker saves time by checking contributions for common technical issues before the files are uploaded.

Checker will check…
…volume, encoding options, audio format, metadata (ID3 tags), and file name conventions.

Checker won’t check…
…the content of the recording (such as reading the wrong word) or the quality of your performance.

How to use it

  1. Install Checker on your device.

  2. Drag-and-drop .mp3 audio files (or a folder of them, or a ZIP archive of them) onto the Checker window.

    image showing how to drop files onto Checker

  3. The files are added to a list in the Checker window. Wait while it analyzes the files.

    image showing the start of the checking process

  4. Click a file name in the list to see a report of any issues that it found.

    image showing a report for a selected file

A file’s report will either state that the file passed or else list the issues it found as either errors or warnings. Errors are serious problems that should be fixed before uploading the file. A warning is less serious, or in some cases a potential problem that Checker is not sure about.

Get Checker

Checker is available for many popular platforms. Find your platform below and follow the instructions provided.

Jump to: Windows • macOS • Linux • Chromebook • Other

Windows

You can run Checker on both 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Windows. If you are unsure which to choose, choose the 32-bit version.

Download for Windows (32-bit)
Download for Windows (64-bit)

To install Checker on Windows:

  1. Download one of the installers above.

  2. Find the file in your downloads folder and double click to open it.

  3. If you see “Windows protected your PC” follow these steps. Otherwise, skip to step 4.

    The message is scary, but it just means that not many people have installed this version yet. Follow these steps:

    1. Click More info. An new button appears.
    2. Click Run anyway.

    If the More info link button isn’t shown, open the Start Menu and choose App & browser control (just start typing the name until it appears, then click it). Choose Reputation-based protection settings. Under Potentially unwanted app blocking, turn the switch off. This is a conservative change. You will still be warned before opening apps and have to follow the steps above.

  4. The installer will open. Follow the steps. If you are not sure what to do, just keep choosing Next or Finish.

  5. Checker is now installed and will be listed in your Start Menu. To run it you can open the Start Menu, start typing “checker” and click it when appears.

  6. If you wish, right click on checker in the task bar and choose Pin to taskbar.

  7. Once installed, you can delete the downloaded installer if desired.

  8. Start checking files.

macOS

Checker is available as a “universal” app for Macs that use either Apple Silicon or 64-bit Intel processors.

Download for macOS (Universal)

To install Checker on macOS:

  1. Download the disk image above.
  2. Open the downloads stack in the dock, then click the downloaded file to mount the disk image.
  3. A Finder window will open in a few moments, showing the Checker app.
  4. Open a new Finder window and choose Applications from the Favorites list.
  5. Drag and drop the app icon from its window to the Applications window.
  6. Once it finishes copying, double click Checker in your Applications folder.
  7. Double click the app in your Applications folder to start it.
  8. The first time you run it, it will be checked. A message appears saying it is being verified. Then, since it was downloaded from outside of the app store, your Mac will double check that you want to run it. Choose Open. You won’t have to do this again the next time you use the app.
  9. Once you have copied the app to Applications, you can “eject” the Checker disk image. (Find Checker in the side bar under Locations and click the eject icon.) You can then delete the downloaded disk image (.dmg file) if you wish.
  10. Start checking files.

Linux

Checker is available as a Debian package (.deb) for both amd64 (64-bit Intel/AMD) and arm64 (64-bit ARM) platforms. The packages should work for most popular Linux distributions, such as Ubuntu. They include private Java runtimes known to work with Checker, so that you don’t need to worry about conflicts with any version of Java that you may have installed for other purposes.

Download .deb for Linux (amd64)
Download .deb for Linux (arm64)
Download .rpm for Linux (amd64)
Download .rpm for Linux (arm64)

Tip: The “amd64” platform is sometimes called x86_64, and the “arm64” platform is sometimes called aarch64.

If none of the above packages are suitable, follow the instructions for other platforms, below.

  1. Download the appropriate package for your device above.
  2. On many systems, you can install the app by simply opening the downloaded file from your desktop. Otherwise, open a shell and run dpkg -i checker-linux-xxx-vvv.deb where xxx and vvv are replaced by the correct platform and version. (Also replace .deb with .rpm if appropriate.)
  3. An icon for Checker should be added to your desktop launcher. Open as you would any application.
  4. After installation, you can delete the downloaded package (the .deb or .rpm file).
  5. Start checking files.

Chromebook

Checker can be run on a 64-bit Intel/AMD or ARM Chromebook if that Chromebook supports the Linux (beta) feature. Note that if you sign into your Chromebook using an account controlled by your school or employer, it will almost certainly not allow you to enable Linux (beta) or install the app. You will need to sign in with another account.

To install Checker on your Chromebook with a 64-bit Intel or ARM processor:

  1. Enable the Linux (beta) feature.
  2. Download the Linux .deb package for your Chromebook’s processor using the links above. For a 64-bit Intel or AMD CPU, download the amd64 package. For a 64-bit ARM CPU, download the arm64 package.
  3. In your Downloads list, click the downloaded file. Then click Open with and choose Linux (beta).
  4. Installation will begin. It may take a while; be patient.
  5. An icon should be added to the Launcher automatically. Choose the Launcher (circle icon in the corner of the screen), then the upward pointing arrow. Choose the Checker app from the list.
  6. After installation, you can delete the downloaded .deb package.
  7. Start checking files.

Other

You can run Checker on any device that supports desktop Java.

Download for other platforms

To run Checker on other platforms:

  1. Ensure you have Java 8+ installed.

  2. Download and unpack the .tar.gz archive.

  3. You may be able to run Checker from your desktop by opening the checker folder, then opening the librvox_checker.jar file.

  4. Otherwise, open a shell, change to the checker directory, and start it with a command like the following:

    java -jar librivox_checker.jar

  5. Start checking files.

Source code

Checker is open source and is available under an MIT license (some third party components use other licenses).

History

April 30 2021 (1.1)

January 11 2019 (0.96i)

October 17 2017 (0.96g)

January 28 2014 (0.96)

May 23 2013 (0.95)

May 20 2013 (0.94)

May 11 2012 (alpha 0.93)

April 1 2012 (alpha 0.9)

January 6 2009 (alpha 0.2)

October 29 2008 (prototype 1)