Representing Sound Flashcards

All 12 cards in this deck

What is the formula for the file size of a sound file, in bits?

sampling rate (Hz) $\times$ sample resolution (bits) $\times$ duration (seconds)

What is sampling in the context of sound?

Measuring the amplitude of an analogue sound wave at regular intervals and storing each measurement as a binary value.

What is the sampling rate of a sound recording?

The number of samples taken per second, measured in hertz (Hz).

What is sample resolution?

The number of bits per sample.

What is the effect of increasing the sampling rate of a sound recording?

The recording is closer to the original sound so playback quality improves, but the file size increases.

True or false? Doubling the sample resolution of a sound recording doubles its file size.

True. File size = sampling rate $\times$ sample resolution $\times$ duration.

Why must analogue sound be sampled before a computer can store it?

Computers can only store binary, so the analogue wave must be converted into digital (binary) values.

What is the effect of increasing the sample resolution of a sound recording?

Each sample can be stored more precisely, so playback quality improves, but the file size increases.

Why is a sampled digital sound never an exact copy of the original analogue sound wave?

Samples are only taken at intervals, and each is rounded to a value the sample resolution can store, so the digital wave only approximates the original.

What is a sample?

A measure of the amplitude of a sound wave at a point in time.

Is sound analogue or digital?

Analogue: a continuously changing wave. It must be converted to digital (binary) form before a computer can store or process it.

What is 1 hertz (Hz) when sampling sound?

One sample per second.