The Book of Audacity

Appendix B. Glossary

A–E

ADC/DAC

Analog-to-digital converter, digital-to-analog converter. Analog sounds such as a singer or an instrument are converted to digital form for recording and editing, then converted back to analog for playback. A CD player is a DAC. Your computer sound card is an ADC/DAC. An ADC is a crucial piece of equipment. A good one performs a good clean accurate conversion without introducing noise. Bad ones sound strange and add noise. Some are designed to add some color, for example to sound like a certain classic tube amp or recording style from the old days.

Amplitude

Amplitude, as it relates to sounds, can be thought of as pressure; the greater the pressure, the louder the sound. It is also described as intensity or energy ...