There are several key properties inherent to a raw PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) audio signal: sample rate, channel count, and sample format. The sample rate indicates the frequency at which a microphone captures acoustic vibrations. Common sample rates encountered in music playback include 44100 Hz and 48000 Hz. The channel count defines the number of distinct audio channels, which typically includes 1 (Mono), 2 (Stereo), 3 (Triphonic), 4 (Quadraphonic), or 5.1/7.1 (Surround Sound). The sample format specifies the memory unit size allocated for a single sample (e.g., i16, f32).
Even experts can make mistakes when converting signal frames to memory bytes. To avoid these fundamental errors, the following steps must be carefully observed:
Determine the exact sample count per second. sample count = sample rate × channel count
Remember that the sample count does not equal the byte count. byte count = sample count × sizeof∷()
Insight: Basic errors occurring in the field of signal processing plague both novices and experts alike. Take care not to be the next one to fall into this trap.
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