3. Agenda
• Properties of sound
• Analog audio
• Digital audio
• Audio file formats
• Sound recording
• Sound editing
4. Introduction
• Audio is the reproduction of sound -
important means of communication.
• There are a number of advantages of using
audio.
• most obvious: interface for visual
disabilities
5. Properties of Sound
• Sound is a pressure
wave created by
successively vibrating
matter back and
forth.
• The sound wave is in
the form of a sine
wave.
6. Frequency
• The number of air pressure oscillations per
second at a fixed point by a sound wave
• Measured in Hertz (Hz) - number of waves per
second
• Audible range (human) = 20 Hz - 20 kHz
• this is where the sensation of pitch
originates
12. Amplitude
• The height of the
wave
• Measured in decibels
(dB or dBA)
13. Intensity vs. Loudness
• Amplitude can be thought of as the intensity of
sound and is measurable.
• Loudness of sound is a perception.
• Sound can be perceived differently at the
various frequencies (1 kHz-4 kHz is more
sensitive than the lower and the higher)
• Individuals also have different hearing
capacities. What is loud to one person may not
be loud to another, which why loudness is a
perception and cannot be measured.
14. dBA Sound
10 Normal breathing
20 Whispering at 5 ft
30 Soft whispering
50 Rainfall
60 Normal conversation
110 Shouting in the ear
120 Thunder
110-120 Rock concert
130 Air raid
180 Rocket launching from pad
15. Analog Audio
• analog = the
measurement of
continuous change
or movement over
a period of time
16. Digital Audio
• The reproduction of sound using digital
information
• The value of the signal is sampled at regular
intervals by an analog-to-digital converter
(ADC)
17. Basic Terminology &
Properties of DA
• Channels
• Sampling rate
• Bit depth
• Quality and file size
• Compression
• Audio codecs
19. Channels
Stereo
re s s e d i l l
p
u n c om a l file w
An it
re o dig t h e s i ze o f
s te e
e t w ic o n o file .
b
am
Mono
20. Sampling Rate
• ADC - the signal is sampled at regular
intervals
• The value of each sample is rounded to the
nearest integer in a scale that varies
according to the resolution of the signal
21. Sampling Rate
• The accuracy the
reproduction to
the source
depends on how
often the sample
is taken.
22. Common DA Sampling Rate
8,000 Hz telephone, adequate for human speech
22,050 Hz radio
32,000 Hz miniDV digital camcorder
CD, commonly used with MPEG-1 audio
44,100 Hz
(VCD, SVCD, MP3)
digital sound used for digital TV, DVD,
48,000 Hz
DAT, films and professional audio
96,000 or 192,400 Hz DVD-audio and HD-DVD audio tracks
23. Bit Depth
• The number of bits used to describe each of
the samples taken from the sampling rate
• the potential accuracy of a digital audio
• Higher bit-depth audio will sound better
than lower one
24. Quality & File Size
• Make the highest level (if possible) ~ 16-bit
44kHz Stereo
• this produces a large file size, however,
high audio clarity
• Chances to manipulate such file (to make it
smaller) :
• reduce the sampling rate
• make it mono
25.
26. Compression
• Digital audio files can
also be compressed to
reduce file size
• MPEG-1 Audio layer-3
(MP3) is a common
27. Compression
• Digital audio files can
also be compressed to
reduce file size
• MPEG-1 Audio layer-3
(MP3) is a common
28. Compression
Audio
Quality
• Digital audio files can
also be compressed to
reduce file size
• MPEG-1 Audio layer-3
(MP3) is a common
29. Compression
Audio
Quality
• Digital audio files can
also be compressed to
reduce file size
• MPEG-1 Audio layer-3
(MP3) is a common
30. Compression
Audio
Quality
• Digital audio files can
also be compressed to
reduce file size
• MPEG-1 Audio layer-3
(MP3) is a common
File Size
31. Compression
Audio
Quality
• Digital audio files can
also be compressed to Lossless
reduce file size WMA
• MPEG-1 Audio layer-3
(MP3) is a common
File Size
32. Compression
Audio
Quality
• Digital audio files can
also be compressed to Lossless
reduce file size WMA
Lossy
• MPEG-1 Audio layer-3 MP3
Real Audio
(MP3) is a common
File Size
33. Compression
Audio
Quality
“later editing”
• Digital audio files can
also be compressed to Lossless
reduce file size WMA
Lossy
• MPEG-1 Audio layer-3 MP3
Real Audio
(MP3) is a common
File Size
34. Compression
Audio
Quality
“later editing”
• Digital audio files can
also be compressed to Lossless
reduce file size WMA
Lossy
• MPEG-1 Audio layer-3 MP3
Real Audio
(MP3) is a common
“transmission”
File Size
35. Audio Codecs
• An audio codec is a piece of
(coder/decoder)
software or a driver that provides support
for certain audio formats for certain system.
36. Audio Codecs
• An audio codec is a piece of
(coder/decoder)
software or a driver that provides support
for certain audio formats for certain system.
37. Audio Codecs
• An audio codec is a piece of
(coder/decoder)
software or a driver that provides support
for certain audio formats for certain system.
codec x
38. Audio Codecs
• An audio codec is a piece of
(coder/decoder)
software or a driver that provides support
for certain audio formats for certain system.
codec x
39. Audio Codecs
• An audio codec is a piece of
(coder/decoder)
software or a driver that provides support
for certain audio formats for certain system.
codec x
40. Audio Codecs
• An audio codec is a piece of
(coder/decoder)
software or a driver that provides support
for certain audio formats for certain system.
codec y
codec x
41. Audio Codecs
• An audio codec is a piece of
(coder/decoder)
software or a driver that provides support
for certain audio formats for certain system.
codec y
codec x
42. Audio Codecs
• An audio codec is a piece of
(coder/decoder)
software or a driver that provides support
for certain audio formats for certain system.
✘
codec y
codec x
43. Audio Codecs
• An audio codec is a piece of
(coder/decoder)
software or a driver that provides support
for certain audio formats for certain system.
✘
codec y
codec x
codec x
44. Audio Codecs
• An audio codec is a piece of
(coder/decoder)
software or a driver that provides support
for certain audio formats for certain system.
✘
codec y
codec x
✔
codec x
45. Audio Codecs
• An audio codec is a piece of
(coder/decoder)
software or a driver that provides support
for certain audio formats for certain system.
✘
codec y
codec x
✔
codec x
Audio codecs
46. Audio File Formats
• •
An audio file format is a WAV format
container format for storing
•
data on a computer system. Microsoft’s audio
format
• AIF format
• also one of the most
• developed by Apple common format on
Computer the web
• •
supported by most MP3
web browsers
• most widespread
• AU format form of audio on the
Internet
• one of the most
•
common format on playable on various
the web players
• created by Sun
Microsystems
47. MIDI Format
• Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI)
is typically used to play music.
• MIDI files contain a set of instruction that
the computer sends to a sound card,
synthesizer, or other device.
• Such instructions (note and instrument
description) describe how to play the
sound, rather than recording an actual
rendition of the sound.
