Audio Formats and Codecs Glossary

What is Unified Speech and Audio Coding (USAC)? Unified Speech and Audio Coding (USAC) is a standard codec developed by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for compressing and decompressing speech and audio signals. It is designed to provide high-quality audio compression for a wide range of applications, including telecommunications, broadcasting, and multimedia streaming. USAC is … Read more

What is a Vinyl Rip? A vinyl rip refers to the process of converting analog audio stored on a vinyl record into a digital format. This allows for the preservation and sharing of music that may not be readily available in digital form. Vinyl rips are popular among audiophiles and music enthusiasts who appreciate the … Read more

What is MPEG-1 Audio Layer III? MPEG-1 Audio Layer III, commonly known as MP3, is a digital audio encoding format that revolutionized the way music is stored and transmitted over the internet. Developed by the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG), MP3 is a lossy compression algorithm that reduces the size of audio files without significantly … Read more

What is Blu-ray Audio? Blu-ray Audio is a high-definition audio format that offers superior sound quality compared to traditional audio formats such as CD or MP3. It is designed to provide listeners with a more immersive and detailed listening experience, allowing them to hear every nuance and subtlety in the music. How does Blu-ray Audio … Read more

What is TTA (True Audio)? TTA, which stands for True Audio, is a lossless audio codec created by Aleksander Djourik. It is designed to compress audio files without losing any audio data, resulting in high-quality sound reproduction. TTA files typically have the extension “.tta” and are often used by audiophiles and music enthusiasts who prioritize … Read more

What is MP1? MP1 stands for MPEG-1 Audio Layer 1, which is a digital audio compression format developed by the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG). It is one of the three audio coding formats included in the MPEG-1 standard, along with MP2 and MP3. MP1 was first introduced in the early 1990s and was primarily … Read more

What is Transcoding? Transcoding is the process of converting a digital file from one format to another. This can involve changing the file type, resolution, bitrate, or other parameters to make the file compatible with a specific device or platform. Transcoding is commonly used in the media and entertainment industry to ensure that content can … Read more

What is a Codec? A Codec, short for coder-decoder, is a software or hardware device that compresses and decompresses digital data. Codecs are commonly used in multimedia applications to reduce the size of audio, video, and image files without significantly compromising the quality of the content. By using complex algorithms, Codecs can efficiently encode data … Read more

What is CELT (Constrained Energy Lapped Transform)? CELT, short for Constrained Energy Lapped Transform, is an audio codec that was developed by the Xiph.Org Foundation. It is a high-quality, low-latency audio codec that is designed for real-time communication applications such as voice over IP (VoIP) and video conferencing. CELT is based on the principles of … Read more

What is an Audio Container? An audio container, also known as a multimedia container, is a file format that can contain various types of data, including audio, video, subtitles, and metadata. It is essentially a wrapper that holds different types of multimedia content in a single file. Audio containers are commonly used in multimedia applications … Read more