Audio Media Basics

Study Notes

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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