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Audio Basics

Digital audio is the conversion of sound into numerical data for processing and storage, involving sampling, quantization, and encoding. Key concepts include the Nyquist Theorem for accurate signal reproduction, bit depth for sound resolution, and various audio compression techniques. Digital audio has applications in music production, telecommunications, streaming services, and audio processing.

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21 views11 pages

Audio Basics

Digital audio is the conversion of sound into numerical data for processing and storage, involving sampling, quantization, and encoding. Key concepts include the Nyquist Theorem for accurate signal reproduction, bit depth for sound resolution, and various audio compression techniques. Digital audio has applications in music production, telecommunications, streaming services, and audio processing.

Uploaded by

advaithmanoj10
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Basics of Digital Audio

Introduction to Digital Audio

• Sound is a physical disturbance in a medium, propagating


as a pressure wave.
• The human ear detects sound waves and interprets them.
• Digital audio converts sound into numerical data for
processing and storage.
Digitization of Sound
Process:
• Sampling: Measuring sound at discrete intervals.
• Quantization: Assigning numeric values to samples.
• Encoding: Storing numerical data in digital format.

Key Devices:
• ADC (Analog-to-Digital Converter)
• DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter)
Sampling and Nyquist Theorem
• Sampling Rate: Number of samples taken per second (Hz).
• Nyquist Theorem: To accurately reproduce a signal, the
sampling rate must be at least twice the highest frequency of
the sound.
Examples:
• CD Quality: 44.1 kHz (for 22 kHz max frequency)
• Telephone: 8 kHz (for 4 kHz max frequency)
Sample Size and Bit Depth

• Bit depth determines the resolution of the sampled sound.


Common bit depths:
• 8-bit: Lower quality, higher noise.
• 16-bit: Standard for CDs.
• 24-bit: Professional audio quality.
Higher bit depth results in more accurate sound representation.
Audio Compression
Types:
• Lossless (FLAC, ALAC): No quality loss.
• Lossy (MP3, AAC): Discards data for smaller file size.

Compression Techniques:
• Silence Compression: Treats small signals as silence.
• Companding: Adjusts dynamic range to reduce file size.
• Frequency Masking: Removes inaudible frequencies.
The Human Auditory System

• Audible frequency range: 20 Hz – 22 kHz.


• Sensitivity varies by frequency.

Important concepts:
• Spectral Masking: Loud sounds mask nearby frequencies.
• Temporal Masking: Loud sounds mask quiet ones occurring
shortly before or after.
Spectral or frequency masking

Threshold and Masking of Sound.


Applications of Digital Audio

• Music Production (DAWs, MIDI, Auto-tune)


• Telecommunication (VoIP, Mobile Calls)
• Streaming Services (Spotify, YouTube Music)
• Audio Processing (Speech Recognition, AI Audio
Enhancement)
Conclusion

• Digital audio enables efficient sound processing and storage.


• Advances in compression and AI improve audio quality.
• Ongoing research aims at better efficiency and realism.

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