Sound Format
WAV:
this is an audio file format which was developed by Microsoft. An advantage of using WAV is
that it is fast decoding and it can be played on most window applications that
support sound. However it is a very large file size.
AIFF:
this is an audio file format which was created by APPLE Company. Its main
purpose is to store sound data featuring numerous sound bitrates used in PC or
other audio utilities. The advantage of using AIFF file is the output of exceptional sound
quality however it will take up more storage than any other lossy formats.
FLAC:
this is a type of lossless MP3. It is mostly used where the quality of sound is
essential.
This is a compressed lossless which means that audio is compressed in FLAC
without any loss in quality. It takes up less space than WAV and AIFF and is
becoming one the most popular formats due to it being an open source. It is
also extremely fast at decoding and supports multi-channel and high-resolution
streams. However it compresses less efficiently than other popular modern
compressors such as Monkey’s Audio.
Mp3:
It allows anyone to create their own implementation
and has fast decoding, lower complexity than other sound formats such as AAC.
However this sound format is lower performance than modern codecs.
AAC:
It is a lossy format that is similar to mp3 but includes some performance
improvements.: It reaches transparency in
most samples and for most users at around 150 kbps and has several
implementations, containing ones that are high quality and free. However many
players only support LC at the moment so you will have files that are valid
except your player won’t play them.
Ogg
Vorbis: This is an audio compression format An advantage of this is that it is easy to
use high level Application Programming Interface; also it is suitable for
internet- streaming. A disadvantage for this is current implementations are
more computationally intensive to decode than mp3.
WMA:
it stands for windows media audio and uses a lossy compression system. This is
a file extension used with windows media player.An advantage of using WMA is
that it is more convenient for window users and it has better sound quality in
low bitrates. However as it was designed for windows it may have some
compatibility problems with other platforms.
Storage: For storage, sound files can be stored on digital
drives such as USB stick or flash hard drive which can be connected to
computers and laptops to transport the file on to the device. These digital
drives are portable which makes it easier as it can be accessed on different
devices. And to save all your production work, you can use Apple iCloud and
google drive as they are the safest options to save all your production work.
Compression: this is extremely important in
audio production as it evens out the dynamic range and it is useful to smooth
out a vocal track that pitches from extremely loud to soft. This also allow you
to record more precise and clear sounds as it keeps an instrument range within
the range of the recording equipment. This is controlled by upwards and
downwards compression which decrease the loud background noises.
