DAR - Exploring Digital Audio (Lesson)
Exploring Digital Audio Lesson
Digital Audio
When a music artist records a song, they want their listeners to hear exactly what was produced in the recording studio. All sounds and layers recorded are expected to be projected over whatever digital medium their listeners are using. To make this happen, songs need to be recorded, mixed, and stored with equipment, programs, and files that are capable of preserving the full quality of the music. Digital audio technology is the key to making all of this happen.
Digital audio refers to technology that records, stores, and reproduces sound by encoding an audio signal in digital form instead of analog. In other words, as a camera captures frames of light, digital audio captures samples of sound from an analog electrical signal and stores that sound on a digital device such as a computer, CD, or iPhone. The difference between analog and digital audio is that analog audio records sound in a continuous wave whereas digital audio records each point along the wave. Unlike the traditional method of storing sound by creating a series of magnetic charges along a reel of magnetic tape, as in the case of analog audio, digital audio is stored as a series of numeric values on a hard drive; meaning sounds become numbers.
Benefits of Digital Audio
With digital audio come many benefits beyond the traditional methods of tapes and vinyls of playback and recording.
Benefits of digital audio include:
- Highly portable
- Data can be cloned
- Consistent playback quality
- Variety of recording options
- Audio can be easily integrated into multimedia
- Faster and easier to edit
- Higher volume and lower noise
- Digital equipment is cheaper
- Unwanted noise or frequencies can be easily rid of with digital equipment
Current Uses of Audio on the Web
From business jingles that customers can remember to podcasts that entertain online listeners, audio is being used all over the Web in many facets. Can you think of other ways that audio is being used on the web?
Web audio does not replace content on the web or other media elements, it only complements the website. How to use it and if it is needed is important to know. Should you be taking advantage of sound to enhance your site and user experience? Sounds can be used for accessibility for those with disabilities or as alerts (notification tools). Consider the following to determine if audio is needed on your webpage.
- Is it necessary?
- Is it appropriate for my audience?
- Will the audio be annoying?
- Will it improve site navigation?
- What sort of sound is best? Videos? Background music? Functionality noises?
- Will it communicate ideas through informative dialogue, narration, and voice content?
Sound can be a great tool to capture the customer or listener and enhance the overall quality of your website. Make sure it is meaningful and done with a clear purpose and strategy. In addition, make sure it creates a positive user experience.
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