Principles of Game Audio and Sound Design

12AUDIO DATA REDUCTION

Learning Objectives

In this chapter we focus on the art and science of audio data reduction and optimization or how to make audio files smaller in terms of their RAM footprint while retaining satisfactory audio quality. In order to achieve the best results, it is important to understand the various strategies used in data reduction, as well as how different types of audio materials respond to these techniques. As always, technical knowledge must be combined with first-hand experience and experimentation.

1. Digital Audio: A Quick Review

Audio is digitized by taking an analog, continuous signal such as a sound picked up by a microphone and by measuring these continuous signals at regular time intervals, known as the ...