DAR - Proper Use of Audio Files (Lesson)
Proper Use of Audio Files Lesson
Audio Codecs
Audio recordings can project desired sound through different digital mediums due to the way they are transferred, stored, and unpacked. The channel in which this is done is called a codec. A codec is a piece of hardware or software used to make it easy to transfer large data files through compression techniques. The word codec is basically two terms, encode and decode, joined together into one word. The two main components of a codec each play a role in the storing and transferring of data files; an encoder compresses the files and the decoder decompresses them. In other words, codecs let computer hardware or software change information from one format to another, which is encoding, and later decode it at the receiving end for suitable use. The most common reason for using a codec is to reduce the amount of information needed to store an audio recording.
Compression Techniques
The audio files produced by recording studios can be very large. In an attempt to reduce the size, data compression is used. The format of a digital audio file affects playback quality and your ability to use the file on a digital device. Higher-quality digital audio files sound great, but they can take up a lot of hard drive space. Other, lower-quality audio files have a low bitrate and take up less hard drive space. Efficient audio compression techniques manage to squeeze large amounts of audio data into more manageable file sizes by removing some information from a recording, but the process can have a detrimental effect on the overall sound quality of your favorite tunes and your listening experience.
Most Common Audio Codecs
The type of audio codec used by music streaming services and download sites can have a large influence on the sound quality you experience for the music you enjoy listening to. Take a look at the most popular audio codecs used today.
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Copyright Laws
When using someone else’s audio or sound recordings for your website, podcast, or even a video, you must follow all copyright laws. Once a sound recording has been created, it is automatically considered to be copyrighted. However, the original creator can formally copyright his or her work by registering it through the proper channels. As the copyright owner, they have the right to distribute their work, perform it publicly, and make derivatives from it. Anyone who would like to use another’s copyrighted sound recording would either have to get a license from the owner, use a statutory license, or have an exemption apply, such as fair use. One myth is that if a person uses only a certain amount of a sound recording, they don’t have to get permission to use it. This is not the case. It doesn’t matter how little of the sound recording you use; you still must obtain permission to use it. To recognize a sound recording's official copyright status, the copyright notice is made up of a capital P in a circle, the year of publication, and the copyright owner’s name.
What is a sound recording?
According to The Copyright Act of 1976, sound recordings are “works that result from the fixation of a series of musical, spoken, or other sounds but not including sounds accompanying a motion picture or other audiovisual work.” In essence, a sound recording is the reproduction of sound waves into a fixed form from which the contents can be heard or communicated again. The recordings are fixed in a recording medium, such as a CD, digital file, or phonorecord. Sound recordings can also be lectures, podcasts, audiobooks, or other audio recordings.
Public Domain
There are several online sources that provide public domain recordings. Remember, public domain consists of all the creative work to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. What this mean is there are no restrictions on what you can do with the recordings. A public domain’s collection of recordings is mostly by people who have freely offered their recordings to them. Other works are licensed under Creative Commons licenses.
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