Audio Media Basics

Audio Media Definition

• Audio is anything connected to sound, specifically when received, recorded, transferred, or duplicated.
• Audio is related to documenting and transmitting sound.
• Audio is a resource of media and information, along with text, visual, and motion.

Audio Media Types

• Audio Media refers to media communication using audio equipment to report, document, and deliver information through sound.
• Audio can include formats like analog tape cassettes, digital compact discs, and computer files.
• Audio information is a file or sound created and transferred using high-fidelity waves heard through audio tools.

Types and Categories of Audio Information

• Radio Broadcast involves sending live or recorded audio via radio waves to a large audience.
• Music is an artistic form of auditory communication using structured, continuous instrumental or vocal tones.
• Sound Recording is the encoding of any sound from surroundings, creating a record of a certain sound.

Audio Information Types

• Sound Clip/Sound Effect is a sound (aside from dialogue and music) artificially created for effect in movies, plays, or broadcasts.
• Audio Podcast is an episodic series of digital audio or video files downloadable for listening.

Ways of Storing Audio Files

• Tape is a magnetic tape format for documenting sound recordings.
• Compact Disc is a plastic, circular tool for recording, storing, and playing back audio, video, and other digital information.
• USB Flash Drive is a small, external hard drive that plugs into a computer's USB port.
• Memory Card is a small, flat flash drive for saving audio, pictures, texts, and videos on portable devices.
• Computer Hard Drive is a secondary data storage device for digital data.
• Internet/Cloud is a network of remote servers used for storing and retrieving audio and other computer data.

Audio File Formats

• MP3 (MPEG Audio Layer 3) is a coding format for consumer audio and sound sequence compression for transmission and playback.
• M4A/AAC (MPEG-4 Audio/Advanced Audio Coding) is a file extension for lossy digital audio compression.
• WAV (Waveform Audio File Format) is a Microsoft audio file format standard for personal computer digital audio data storage.
• WMA (Windows Media Audio) is a file extension developed by Microsoft for use with Windows Media Player.

Lossy vs Lossless Compression

• There are two compression methods: lossy and lossless.
• Lossy compression permanently removes some original data to reduce file size.
• Lossless compression reduces file size by removing unnecessary metadata.

Characteristics of Sound

• Volume is the force of a sound.
• Tone is the musical or vocal sound of a definite quality.
• Pitch is the degree of highness or lowness of a sound.
• Loudness is the feature of a sound that determines the degree of auditory sensation.

Purposes of Using Audio Media

• Audio media enables learners to access the ideas and views of experts and other reliable people.
• Audio media allows learners to listen to learning materials (e.g., speeches).
• Audio media serves as alternative guides for learners during tasks like experiments.
• Audio media provides learners with access to audio recordings of past events from locations they can't visit.

Elements and Principles of Sound Design

• Dialogue is a conversation.
• Sound Effect is a sound aside from dialogue and music, artificially created to add impact.
• Music is instrumental or vocal that conveys emotions.
• Silence is the absence of noise or sound.

Sound Design Techniques

• Mixing is the balance, combination, and control of numerous sound elements.
• Pace is the editing and time control in sound design. Linear refers to permanent sounds used at a fixed position; non-linear refers to more flexible sounds. Multi-linear is a category for sounds that are flexible.

Transitions in Sound Design

• Transition is the process of moving from one sound element to another.
• Segue is an uninterrupted movement between sounds.
• Cross-fade is a smooth transition between two adjacent sounds.
• V-Fade is a switch from one volume level to another, potentially with silence between elements.
• Fade to Black is a V-Fade with silence between sound segments.

Additional Audio Features

• Stereo Imaging is the feature of sound documentation and duplication concerning the perceived spatial locations of sound sources (sideways and depth).