Äänenpakkausten

Äänenpakkausten, a Finnish term roughly translating to "sound packaging" or "audio compression," refers to methods used to reduce the size of digital audio files. This reduction is achieved by removing redundant or less perceptible information from the audio signal. The goal is to make files smaller for easier storage, faster transmission, and more efficient playback, particularly important for streaming services and digital music distribution.

There are two main categories of audio compression: lossless and lossy. Lossless compression algorithms reduce file size without discarding any original audio data. When the file is decompressed, it is an exact replica of the original. Examples of lossless formats include FLAC and ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec). Lossy compression, on the other hand, achieves greater file size reduction by permanently removing certain audio information that is considered less audible to the human ear, based on psychoacoustic models. While this results in smaller files, the decompressed audio is not identical to the original. Popular lossy formats include MP3, AAC, and Ogg Vorbis. The trade-off with lossy compression is the degree of quality reduction versus the amount of file size savings. Different applications and user preferences dictate the choice between lossless and lossy compression.