Audio

Audio, means “electrical or other representation of sound”. Audio files contain some information concerning sound. Based on this information, the computer is able to represent the audio. There are several algorithms existing to convert the sound into audio files. File extensions represent the algorithm used.

To capture sound in digital format the computer has to have a sound card. MIDI (M usical Instrument Digital Interface) allows electronic musical instruments to communicate with computers.

A DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) is an electronic system designed for recording, editing and playing back digital audio.

You can transfer music to a portable MP3 player. MP3 is a short for MPEG audio layer 3, a standard format that compresses audio files. To create MP3 files from CDs you need a CD ripper, a program which extracts music tracks and saves them as MP3s.

Streaming is a technology for transferring data so that it can be processed as a continuous stream. Streaming technologies are becoming increasingly important with the growth of the Internet because most users do not have fast enough access to download large multimedia files quickly. You can play audio (e.g. radio stations) and video files as a continuous stream while they are downloading. There are many competing streaming technologies. For example RealAudio.

A webcast is the broadcast of an event, for example a concert, over the Web. To play audio and video on the Web you have to have a plug-in, like RealPlayer or QuickTime.