Sampling Rate – refers to the rate at which an analog signal is sampled for conversion to and from the digital domain. The sampling rate is measured as the number of samples per unit of time. For digital audio, it is measured in hertz (Hz).  CDs for example are recorded at a sampling rate of 44,1000 samples per second or 44.1khz(kilohertz).  The higher the sampling rate the better the quality.  Converting from a lower Sampling Rate or Bit Depth to a higher will NOT lead to better quality.  Only recording the original analog signal at the highest sampling rate and bit depth will improve the quality.

Bit Depth - In digital audio, bit depth describes the amount of data contained in each sample, measured in bits. Common examples of bit depth include CD audio, which is recorded at 16 bits, and DVD-Audio which can support up to 24-bit audio.  The higher the bit depth the more ‘accurate’ the sampling, and thus the better the sound fidelity. Converting from a lower Sampling Rate or Bit Depth to a higher will NOT lead to better quality.  Only recording the original analog signal at the highest sampling rate and bit depth will improve the quality.

Filename/Extension – Any digital document must have a name for it to be identified by the operating system of the computer.  Audio files are further identified by specific extensions like ‘.wav’ (Wave sound format), ‘.aif’(Audio Interchange File format) and .mp3 (MPEG1 layer 3).

Compression/CODEC - The term ‘Codec’ is short for compression / decompression. A codec is a small program that's installed on your computer which then allows the computer software to reduce the size(compress) of the digital audio data so they can more easily be delivered via the internet.  Mp3 is probably the most widespread example of this.  Anyone with Itunes and an IPOD is familiar with this file format.  MP3 uses a specialized compression programme to reduce the size of the digital audio with the minimum loss to quality. There is always a trade-off between size and quality.  The most noted CODECs (programmes that compress and decompress the audio) are made by Fraunhofer and LAME.

File formats – File formats supported by Soundminer are: Wave, Broadcast Wave, AIFF, mp3 and mp4(AAC). 

WAVE and Broadcast Wave – WAV (or WAVE), short for WAVE form audio format, is a Microsoft and IBM audio file format standard for storing audio on PCs but is now an open standard for all computers. The Broadcast wave files which can be identified as well with the extension .wav or the extension .bwf is a subset of this standard that allows a ‘chunk’ of data to be added along with the audio data.  For Soundminer, this chunk is where the metadata is stored.  A further explanation from the EBU notes:

*The Broadcast Wave Format is based on the Microsoft WAVE audio file format. The WAVE file is one of a number of types of files specified in the Microsoft Resource Interchange File Format or (RIFF). A WAVE file is a type of RIFF file that specifically contains audio data. RIFF files are made up from basic building blocks called “chunks”. A chunk is a block of data bytes, usually containing a specific type or types of information. Each chunk also contains an Identification field and a size field. This allows the reading software to identify any chunks it is able to process, and to pass over and ignore any chunks that it does not understand. The BWF uses as much of the basic RIFF WAVE structure as possible. Only one new chunk needs to be added to a linear PCM WAVE file to make it into a BWF file.

* Courtesy of EBU Technical Review – Winter 1997  R. Chalmers

AIFF(Audio Interchange File format) – This is the standard uncompressed file format for audio on Macintosh computers, but like WAV, it is also recognized by all new PCs and UNIX based platforms. Programmes like Itunes support this format as do other Macintosh based programmes like Final Cut Pro and Logic Audio. The AIFF format does not support data compressions so AIFF files tend to be large and of high quality. However, there is another format called AIFF-Compressed (AIFF-C or AIFC) that supports compression ratios as high as 6:1.  AIFC is found on Avids Video Editing systems for example.

MP3 or MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3 is a compression system that is designed to greatly reduce the amount of data required to represent the audio recording(size), yet still be perceived by the listener to be a faithful representation of the source. It was invented by a team of European engineers and finalized in 1991 as a standard.  MP3 is an audio-specific format. The compression removes certain parts of sound that are outside the normal human hearing range and thereby reduces the amount of data required to store the digital file. As a compression scheme used to transfer audio files via the Internet and store in portable players and digital audio servers, mp3 is widely in use by applications and hardware like Itunes, Window Media Player and the ubiquitous IPOD.

Pulse-code modulation  or (PCM) is a digital representation of an analog signal where the magnitude of the signal is sampled regularly at uniform intervals, then converted to a series of digital bits. This is the process that includes using Sampling rate and Bit depth to convert an analog signal into a digital one.

Soundminer Specific terms:

Browser – this is the main page of Soundminer(be it V4 product, the Web Portal or XP).  This is where you will find your returns, see the main waveform and do most of your work.

Metadata – This refers to the enriching of standard audio files so that they contain important information (text and pictures).  In short ‘data about the audio.’  A standard audio file usually has no special information apart from its ‘hard attributes’ (filename, sample rate, bit depth, file type, duration, channels, creation and modification date, size and path.).  Adding data so one knows more about the file (as in description, category, CD it came from, who owns it, etc.) would be ‘metadata’.  For the Soundminer paradigm, this data is added to the file directly by using the ‘backup’ routine.  This data then travels with the file.  All copies emanating from Soundminer would carry the data and this aids in tracking use, and managing your database.

Backup – In the Soundminer paradigm, this describes the process of enriching a standard audio file with metadata.  When one makes changes to a file in the Soundminer Browser and then ‘backs it up’, they are embedding that extra information into the file itself.  The entire Soundminer paradigm is based on the concept of the information traveling with the file.

Boolean - is a logic system used by search engines to aid in creating efficient search queries. Boolean searches allow you to combine words and phrases using the words AND, OR, NOT (otherwise known as Boolean operators) to limit, widen, or define your search. Soundminer can use ANY combination of these limiters to define a search.

Spot – This term can have two different meaning in the post audio world.  It can refer to a method of transfer:  Copying a file and placing it right on the time and location you desire within an audio application like Digidesign’s Pro Tools or Steinberg’s Nuendo is said to be ‘spotting a sound.’  It can also refer to a Supervising Sound Editor’s notes regarding a particular section of a scene within a film.  In other words, he/she may view a film and make specific notes about what sounds should be used in a particular scene and how that scene should be assembled.  This may be called a ‘Spot’ (a sub hierarchy of Reel >Scene>Spot).

Scanning – refers to the process Soundminer uses to ingest metadata from files.  Basically, this is done by dragging and dropping audio files onto the Soundminer browser.  This initiates the scan process.  Soundminer reads the hard attributes of the files as well as any metadata stored in the file itself. The benefits of such a system are that databases created are absolutely perfect and resolved and complete with searchable metadata with a single routine.  Text databases can be prone to serious errors and in those systems, it is not uncommon to find thousands of orphaned or corrupted file entries.

Soundminer Multi-field Wrapper - The Soundminer multi field wrapper (MFW) is comprised of over 50 fields of individual metadata designed specifically for the audio post industry. Soundminer's metadata system embeds all the information right in the file itself. This protects the database information by storing all the information in the file. Soundminer's Ripper application uses this technology to embed the information from the commercial Sound Effect CD libraries into the extracted files. The information is subsequently acquired by the scanning and should you erase your database, the information can be rebuilt by scanning the files again. The MFW is completely modifiable from within the Soundminer Browser and any information input by the user can be re-written back into the file. The Soundminer system also allows you to re-write the description block of the BWAV BEXT container. This standard is now used by the largest manufacturers of sound effects and music libraries to aid in delivering digital content to their users.

Finder Comments - The Macintosh operating system has always allowed information to be stored in a simple text box that resides with the file – this is called the finder comment field. "Getting information" (command-I) on the file from the finder allows you access to this field. In more recent systems, the field has been augmented with the development of Apple’s Spotlight mechanism.  This allows any user to quickly find files on their system using this metadata container.  While easy to use and readily available, it is not cross platform compatible and not robust enough for professional use.  It is also limited to one user defined field with a limited character length.

BWAV bext chunk – is a specific standard ‘chunk’ added to the broadcast wave standard that is open to all manufacturers. It contains the minimum information expected to be needed by all applications in broadcast production. This includes: information on the title, origination, date, time, etc. of the audio content. As well, it is fast becoming the file choice for many of the industry's location recorders (DEVA, Nagra 5, PortaDrive, etc.) Soundminer will acquire the information stored in this set of fields

ID3 tags - ID3 metadata is a system designed for the mp3 audio format. Supported in programmes like APPLE's Itunes, ID3 tags usually include music specific information like the name of the song, the artist, the album and genre of music. Soundminer can read certain ID3 tags and will automatically place this information into Soundminer.

Pathname – in order for all audio database systems to play a file, they must know where the file exists.  This is commonly known as the pathname of the file.  The pathname standards are different for windows and Macintosh computers but the concept is the same.

In Soundminer, this can be viewed as a field and at all times at the bottom right of the browser returns.

If there are other terms you think we should add, let us know!