This page reorganizes the specification into a view that is easier to use during implementation. It does not replace the bundled markdown files, but it helps separate the format contract, the transport variants, and the descriptive depth attached to each quality tier.
The reference documents establish three core rules. First, EEV is a textual, versionable format. Second, it must describe a complete produced sound with an identifiable beginning, evolution, and ending. Third, the fundamental alone is not treated as the primary identity of the sound.
An EEV file is neither a raw audio stream, nor a mere spectrum image, nor a therapeutic promise. It is a structured document that summarizes sonic behaviour in a form code can read back, compare, archive, and emit again.
The specification contains many details, but the useful skeleton is stable. For a serious first implementation, what matters most is knowing where each family of information belongs.
Fingerprint identity block: identifiers, type, instrument, context, quality, and documentary status. It is the logical entry point for each item.
Global view of the capture: noise floor, SNR, transversal metrics, useful duration, and other broad indicators. Some legacy traces may be tolerated there while reading but should not be re-emitted canonically.
These blocks carry compact summaries and energy maps used to compare, index, and match faster without losing the entire structure of the sound.
These blocks describe dominant structures and fine trajectories through time. They become especially important as soon as you want to track stability, drift, beating, or advanced reconstruction.
ENTRY is the single-item container. It contains exactly one fingerprint. For exchange, tests, demos, and many APIs, it is the simplest and often most practical case.
LIB is the library container. It groups one or more entries. It is useful for collections, embedded libraries, batch import, and workflows that manipulate several fingerprints together.
Compressed variants do not change the documentary model. They only change how the text is transported.
| Extension | Role | What to remember |
|---|---|---|
| .eev | editable public text | canonical business source of the open channel |
| .eevz | compressed transport for .eev | decompress first, then read the same canonical text |
| .eevc / .eevcz | read-only compatibility | read existing certified files if needed; certified verification belongs on eevc.link |
The four levels do not define four incompatible formats. They regulate descriptive depth and compute cost.
| Level | Intent | What a reader may expect |
|---|---|---|
| eco | light but real portrait | descriptive base, usable summary, reduced cost |
| standard | more robust comparison | richer matrices and summaries without jumping to the heaviest profile |
| high | better temporal respect | finer temporal capture and more stable behavioural descriptions |
| ultra | maximum descriptive ambition | advanced trajectories, richer control data, room for future synthesis-oriented extensions |
