For information on how to set up Audacity for playback and recording, see Audacity Setup and Configuration. The sound card that comes with most computers is not particularly high quality, in this case you may want to consider using an external USB soundcard. Many laptop computers have speakers and a microphone built-in. Most desktop computers come with a sound card with 1/8" jacks for you to plug in a microphone or other source for recording, and speakers or headphones for listening. In addition, many digital effects can be applied to digitized audio recordings, for example, to simulate reverberation, enhance certain frequencies, or change the pitch.Īudacity's ability to play or record audio directly from your computer depends on your specific computer hardware. The following image illustrates a sampled audio waveform:ĭigital audio can be edited and mixed without introducing any additional noise. Digital recordings, whether stored on a compact disc (CD), digital audio tape (DAT), or on a personal computer, do not degrade over time and can be copied perfectly without introducing any additional noise. This noise can be minimized but not completely eliminated.ĭigital recording works differently: it samples the waveform at evenly-spaced timepoints, representing each sample as a precise number. Notably, each time an analog recording is copied, more noise is introduced, decreasing the fidelity. Analog recording can reproduce an impressive array of sounds, but it also suffers from problems of noise. Audio pressure waves, or waveforms, look something like this:Īnalog recording media such as a phonograph records and cassette tapes represent the shape of the waveform directly, using the depth of the groove for a record or the amount of magnetization for a tape. Starting with Thomas Edison's demonstration of the first phonograph in 1877, it has been possible to capture these pressure waves onto a physical medium and then reproduce them later by regenerating the same pressure waves. All sounds we hear with our ears are pressure waves in air.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |