audiodata

Audiodata refers to the digital representation of sound as a sequence of numerical samples that encode the amplitude of an audio signal over time. In digital audio, time is discretized at a regular rate called the sampling rate, measured in samples per second (hertz). The choice of sampling rate and bit depth determines the potential dynamic range and frequency response; common values include 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz sampling rates and 16- or 24-bit depth. Samples may be integers or floating-point numbers depending on the encoding, with PCM (pulse-code modulation) being the most widely used form for uncompressed audio.

Audiodata is stored in various formats. Uncompressed formats such as WAV and AIFF contain raw PCM samples, usually with headers describing sample rate, bit depth, and channel count. Compressed formats such as MP3, AAC, or Ogg Vorbis encode audiodata to reduce size, often using perceptual models; decoding is required to obtain the waveform for playback. Stereo and mono refer to channel configurations; interleaved formats store samples from all channels in sequence, while planar formats separate channels.

Metadata associated with audiodata includes sample rate, bit depth, number of channels, duration, and sometimes loop points or calibration data. In processing, audiodata can be subjected to resampling, format conversion, filtering, compression, dithering, and effects. Applications span music production, broadcasting, archival preservation, and consumer playback.

See also: PCM, sampling rate, bit depth, WAV, MP3.