Research the following questions independently

1. For a digital audio recording, explain what is meant by:

a. The sample rate
In developing an audio sound for computers or telecommunication, the sample rate is the number
of samples of a sound that are taken per second to represent the event digitally
The more samples taken per second, the more accurate the digital representation of the sound can
be.
The sample rate of playback or recording determines the maximum audio frequency that can be
reproduced, as shown below.

b. The bit depth

 It is just a measure of how precisely a sound is represented in digital audio. The higher the
bit depth, the more accurate the digital sound. A higher bit depth gives a more detailed
sound recording. A low bit depth causes quiet sounds to be lost.

c. The bit rate.

Bit rate is a measurement expressed in kilobits per second (Kbps), which is thousands of bits
per second. Kbps is a measure of bandwidth of data transmission equipment. It indicates
the amount of data that flows in a given time across a network.
In general, a high bit rate recording delivers better quality audio and takes up more space
on your computer or mobile device. 

2. Give an example of when a low sampling rate is acceptable for audio

transmission or recording.
• When the speed of transferring the audio is a matter such as in phone calls. When the
space savings are considerable though which is very important for getting more
simultaneous calls onto given transition system.
• Speeches For speech recording where perceived quality is unimportant, but clarity must
be maintained
• Cassette recordings from ferric stock
• AM radio
• To squash long speeches into small file sizes.
• To squeeze mp3 music onto floppy disk & very small mp3 players.

3. Explain the difference between stereo and mono audio.

4. Mono Stereo

Monaural or monophonic sound Stereophonic sound or, more

Introduction reproduction is intended to be heard commonly, stereo, is a method of
(from as if it were a single channel of sound sound reproduction that creates an
Wikipedia) perceived as coming from one illusion of multi-directional audible
position. perspective.

Cost Less expensive for recording and More expensive for recording and
 4. Mono Stereo

reproduction reproduction
Easy to record, requires only basic Requires technical knowledge and
equipment skill to record, apart from
Recording equipment. It's important to know
the relative position of the objects
and events.

Audio signals are routed through a Audio signals are routed through 2
single channel or more channels to simulate
Key feature
depth/direction perception, like in
the real world.

Stands for Monaural or monophonic sound Stereophonic sound

Public address system, radio talk Movies, Television, Music players,

shows, hearing aid, telephone and FM radio stations
Usage
mobile communication, some AM
radio stations

Channels 1 2

5. For each of the following describe the effect on the size of the digital audio
file:
a. recording with an increased sample rate
The size of digital file will be enlarged.

b. converting a stereo recording to mono

The size of digital file won’t be affected.

c. Saving the file in .mp3 format.

The size of the digital file will be reduced

6. Explain the function of a CODEC.

 Codec is a portmanteau of coder-decoder. A codec encodes a data stream or a signal for
transmission and storage, possibly in encrypted form, and the decoder function reverses the
encoding for playback or editing.
 Codec are used in videoconferencing, streaming media, and video editing applications.
 encoding source voice and video captured by a microphone or video camera in digital form
for transmission to other participants in calls, video conferences, and streams or broadcasts.
In this example, the term codec stands for compression/decompression.
 Convert data into a byte sequence for easy transmission across a data network, and then
convert the byte sequence back into voice or video for reception at the endpoint.
 compress your video and audio data into a more manageable size for viewing,
transfer or storage.
7. Give an example recording format for each of the following:
a. an uncompressed audio file
WAV and AIFF(The exact source of file or audio. And is used to store sounds on computer)

b. an audio file recorded with lossless compression

FLAC, WMA, ALAC (On the other side of the coin is lossless compression, which is a
method that reduces file size without any loss in quality between the original source file
and the resulting file. The downside is that lossless compression isn’t as efficient as lossy
compression, meaning equivalent files can be 2x to 5x larger.)

c. An audio file recorded with lossy compression.

MP3, AAC, OGG, WMA, (Is a form of compression that loses data during the compression
process. In the context of audio, that means sacrificing quality and fidelity for file size. The
good news is that, in most cases, you won’t be able to hear the difference.)

For most people, the decision is actually pretty easy:

 If you’re capturing and editing raw audio, use an uncompressed format. This way
you’re working with the truest quality of audio possible. When you’re done, you can
export to a compressed format.
 If you’re listening to music and want faithful audio representation, use lossless
audio compression. This is why audiophiles always scramble for FLAC albums over
MP3 albums. Note that you’ll need more storage space for these.
 If you’re okay with “good enough” music quality, if your audio file doesn’t have
any music, or if you need to conserve disk space, use lossy audio compression. Most
people actually can’t hear the difference between lossy and lossless compression.

For those who want utmost quality in their music playback, note that high-quality audio files
won’t matter if your playback device can’t faithfully recreate those sounds. Meaning, you need
to have good quality speakers or good quality headphones!

8. Describe an advantage and a disadvantage for both lossless and lossy compression.
Lossy Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages:
 Very small file sizes and lots of tools, plug-in, and software support it.
 Fill your storage less quickly and be able to transfer the files by email. If you are recording
music but only for a reference (I often record rehearsals quick and dirty just for form and
general learning purposes) then lossy will do
Disadvantages: Quality degrades with higher ratio of compression. Can’t get original back
after compressing.

Lossless Advantages and Disadvantages

 Advantages: No loss of quality, slight decreases in image file sizes.
 Disadvantages: Larger files than if you were to use lossy compression.