SHN is a Shorten file - an early lossless audio compressor once popular for sharing live concert recordings. Created by SoftSound. Before FLAC, Shorten was the format of choice on live-music trading sites because it was lossless and a recording could be verified byte for byte. Analyser handles .SHN alongside related formats such as .APE, .WV, .TAK and more. In Analyser's format library, .SHN sits in the Audio category.

How do I open a .SHN file?

Drop a .SHN file onto Analyser at https://lab.valjdakosta.com/ and it is identified directly in your browser - no upload, no account and no software to install. Identify many more audio formats: lossless/hi-res codecs (Monkey’s Audio, WavPack, TAK, True Audio, DSD/SACD, Musepack), pro containers (Core Audio, RF64/BW64, Wave64, Sun AU, Broadcast Wave with timecode), speech/mobile (Speex, AMR-WB, QCP, 3GA, M4R, GSM), MPEG Layer I/II, instrument banks (SoundFont, SFZ, DLS, RIFF MIDI, GigaStudio), ringtones (RTTTL, iMelody, SAP), tracker modules (MOD, XM, IT, S3M, OctaMED, 669, Oktalyzer), chiptunes (NES NSF, SNES SPC, VGM, Game Boy GBS, AY, YM) and Audacity projects.

Can I open a .SHN file online for free?

Yes. Analyser is a free online .SHN identifier that runs entirely in your browser - your .SHN file never leaves your device, so there is nothing to upload and no software to install. It even works offline once installed.

.SHN file - what it is and how to identify it online

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Home › Formats › .SHNID

What is a .SHN file?

SHN is a Shorten file - an early lossless audio compressor once popular for sharing live concert recordings. Created by SoftSound.

Did you know: Before FLAC, Shorten was the format of choice on live-music trading sites because it was lossless and a recording could be verified byte for byte.
Analyser handles .SHN alongside related formats such as .APE, .WV, .TAK and more.
In Analyser's format library, .SHN sits in the Audio category.
What Analyser reads: Identify many more audio formats: lossless/hi-res codecs (Monkey’s Audio, WavPack, TAK, True Audio, DSD/SACD, Musepack), pro containers (Core Audio, RF64/BW64, Wave64, Sun AU, Broadcast Wave with timecode), speech/mobile (Speex, AMR-WB, QCP, 3GA, M4R, GSM), MPEG Layer I/II, instrument banks (SoundFont, SFZ, DLS, RIFF MIDI, GigaStudio), ringtones (RTTTL, iMelody, SAP), tracker modules (MOD, XM, IT, S3M, OctaMED, 669, Oktalyzer), chiptunes (NES NSF, SNES SPC, VGM, Game Boy GBS, AY, YM) and Audacity projects.
Depth of analysis: .SHN is an identification-grade format: Analyser recognises it from its bytes and decodes the header metadata it carries, rather than opening it in a full viewer. Formats that do get a full viewer are marked "Full" on the formats page.
Open a .SHN file: Drag a .SHN file onto the Analyser home page (or tap to pick one). It is identified entirely in your browser - nothing is uploaded, there is no account, and it works offline once installed.
Related formats: .APE · .WV · .TAK · .TTA · .OFR · .DSF · .DFF · .MPC · .CAF · .RF64 · .BW64 · .W64 · .AU · .SND · .VOC · .BWF · .SPX · .AWB and more. See all supported file types.