| Types of audio files used on the Web | Digital
Audio (sound effects, music, speech) These files are created by digitally recording the audio output of a sound device (cassette, CD, microphone, etc.) connected to a computer's sound card or audio input connector. The process includes sampling the input, converting the information from analog to digital and then storing the digital information in the computer's memory or on a storage device. The quality of the recording can be controlled by the sample rate and sample resolution. In addition, digital audio files can be created by copying the raw track file data from an audio CD. This process is known as ripping. Here is a graphic view of a digital audio file. MIDI (synthesized instrumental music) These files are usually created in programs called sequencers. The files themselves do not contain any actual sound data - they contain pitch, rhythm, instrument and other instructions needed for an attached sound card or hardware/software synthesizer to create the actual sounds. Here's more information of MIDI including a look at the contents of a MIDI file and a screen shot of the sequencer application used to create the file. |
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| Pros and cons for each file type | Digital
Audio Pro: Recording of actual sound Con: File sizes can be very large - ten megabytes (MB) for one minute of sound at CD quality. However, by compressing the file using MP3 or using one of the popular multimedia delivery systems such as RealMedia, Quicktime or Windows Media Technologies, file sizes can be susbstanially reduced. In addition, by "streaming" the sound file, playback can start before the entire file has been downloaded. In some cases, special software must be installed on the server in order to stream. MIDI Pro: File sizes are not large Con: Instrumental music only |
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| More Information |
Placing Sound on a Web Page |
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| Links to audio and MIDI files |
SoundAmerica |
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