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unit 3

The document discusses various audio file formats including WAV, MP3, WMA, Real Audio, MIDI, and AIFF, highlighting their characteristics and uses. It also explains the roles of codecs in encoding and decoding digital audio and describes audio players and recording systems, differentiating between analog and digital methods. Additionally, it covers the use of audio in multimedia, focusing on speech, music, and sound effects.

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13 views3 pages

unit 3

The document discusses various audio file formats including WAV, MP3, WMA, Real Audio, MIDI, and AIFF, highlighting their characteristics and uses. It also explains the roles of codecs in encoding and decoding digital audio and describes audio players and recording systems, differentiating between analog and digital methods. Additionally, it covers the use of audio in multimedia, focusing on speech, music, and sound effects.

Uploaded by

GR R
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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1.

Audio File Formats

Digital audio files are saved in wide range of formats having different file extensions, such as
.wav, .mp3, .au, .rm, and so on. The right choice of audio file type for any specific multimedia
application is very important. To select the right audio file type you should be able to identify the
file types and differentiate them.

Common Audio Formats

• WAV (.wav): This audio format is chosen as the native format by Microsoft for all Windows
operating systems. Almost every browser has built-in WAV playback support and a number of
CODECs supporting .wav files.

• MP3 (.mp3): As already discussed, mp3 is the name of the file extension and also the name of
the file type for MPEG-1, Audio Layer-III. The Layer-III coding scheme employs perceptual
audio coding and psychoacoustics compression to eliminate all unnecessary sound that the
human ear cannot hear without sacrificing sound quality. The mp3 CODEC is a copyrighted one
and cannot be used to compress digital audio without licence.

• Windows Media Audio (.wma): It is a Microsoft® file format for encoding digital audio files
akin to MP3. It can condense files at a higher rate than MP3. Since the WMA files uses the .wma
file extension, they can be compressed to go with diverse connection speeds or bandwidths.

• Real Audio (.ra .ram .rm): Real audio is a proprietary format developed by Real Networks Inc.
It is used for streaming audio that enables you to play digital audio files in real-time on the Web.
However, to use this type of file you must have Real Player installed in the PC which is,
however, freely downloadable.

• MIDI (.mid): You have already studied the MIDI files in details. The file extension is .mid.

• Audio Interchange File Format (AIFF): Audio Interchange File Format (AIFF) is an audio
file format standard used to facilitate file exchange. The AIFF files are divided into chunks, each
with its own header and data. The.wav and .aif (Apple) are variants of the AIFF format.

Codec:
A codec is a device or computer program capable of encoding and/or decoding a digital data or
signal. The word codec is a portmanteau of 'compressor-decompressor' or, more commonly,
'coder-decoder'. A codec encodes a data for transmission, storage or encryption, or decodes it for
playback or editing. Codecs are used in videoconferencing, streaming media and video editing
applications. A video camera's analog-to-digital converter (ADC) converts its analog signals into
digital signals, which are then passed through a video compressor for digital transmission or
storage. A receiving device then runs the signal through a video decompressor, then a digital-to-
analog converter (DAC) for analog display. The term codec is also used as a generic name for a
video conferencing unit.

2. Software Audio player:


An audio player is a kind of media player for playing back digital audio, including optical discs
such as CDs, DVD-Audio, audio files and streaming audio. In addition to VCR-like functions
like playing, pausing, stopping, rewinding, and forwarding, some common functions include play
listing, tagging format support, and equalizer. Many of the audio players also support simple
playback of digital videos in which we can also run movies.

Digital audio player:

Digital audio player, shortened to DAP, MP3 player is a consumer electronic device that stores,
organizes and plays digital audio files. In contrast, analog audio players play music from cassette
tapes, or records. Portable devices that also play video and text are referred to as portable media
players.

Example:
Windows Media Player, Winamp, X Multimedis system(XMMS), Real Player, Musicmatch
Jukebox, Jet Audio, iTunes

3. Audio recording system


It is an electrical recreation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental
music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog
recording and digital recording.
 Analog recording system
Analog recording is achieved by a small microphone diaphragm that can detect changes
in sound waves and record them as a graphic representation of the sound waves on a medium
such as a phonograph. In magnetic tape recording, the sound waves vibrate the microphone
diaphragm and are converted into a varying electric current, which is then converted to a varying
magnetic field by an electromagnet, which makes a representation of the sound as magnetized
areas on a plastic tape with a magnetic coating on it.
Example: DOLBY A-type NR (Noise Reduction), DOLBY B-type NR etc.
 Digital recording system
Digital recording and reproduction converts the analog sound signal picked up by the
microphone to a digital form by a process of digitization, allowing it to be stored and transmitted
by a wider variety of media. Digital recording stores audio as a series of binary numbers
representing samples of the amplitude of the audio signal at equal time intervals, at a sample rate
so fast that the human ear perceives the result as continuous sound. Digital recordings are
considered higher quality than analog recordings. Digital format can prevent much loss of quality
found in analog recording due to noise and electromagnetic interference in playback, and
mechanical deterioration or damage to the storage medium. A digital audio signal must be
reconverted to analog form during playback before it is applied to a loudspeaker or earphones.
Example: Digital Theatre System (DTS), DTS Digital Surround etc.

4. Audio and Multimedia:


 Speech
It can be used effectively to transmit information. Speech can eliminate the need to
display large amounts of text on the screen.
Digitized Speech: provides high quality, natural speech but requires significant storage
capacity.
Synthesized Speech: It is not as storage intensive but may not sound as natural as human
speech.
 Music
Music does not carry the primary message of a multimedia program. Music is used to set
a tone, provide connection, add interest and excitement. Music combined with speech and
sound can greatly enhance on-screen presentation of text and visual.
 Sound Effects
Sound effects are used to enhance the presentation of information.
Natural: These are the commonplace sounds that occur around us.
Synthetic: These sounds are produced electronically or artificially.
Ambient: Background sounds that communicate the context of the scene to the listener.
Special Sounds: Uniquely identifiable sound such as ring of the telephone, slam of the
door.

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