Audio Theory

Broadcast vs Non-broadcast and Audio Formats

Task 1 - https://uk.pinterest.com/joshrsmithiii/audio-for-college/

Broadcast	Non-broadcast	Audio Formats
Radio Transmission and reception of waves, they use these to transmit their shows and receive them. Mainly used by radio stations.	Downloads Using a service (i.e ITunes to convert tracks into a different format and have them to listen on the go). Also using the service to download movies and other things such as podcasts (below) to mp4 or different formats.	Mp3 One of the most common audio types, Mp3 files are generally smaller and are used the most frequently.
D.A.B A process in which analog audio audio is taken and converted to digital sound and put onto a different signal. From there it’s transmitted to a channel in FM (more often). Compared to radio, this uses a different process and type of audio, since it uses digital and radio uses analog.	Podcasts Podcasts are tracks or videos that can be audio or video and can be listened to on the go. Often downloaded off of a site, podcasts can be used as something to listen to as you do another activity. Podcasts can be informative, educational, or just casual and for entertainment. Some are interviews with famous people, and some are just podcast talk shows that intend to relax the listener.	WAV A generally bigger file size type, WAV files are used more in production than Mp3 files. They are of FAR better quality than mp3 which is evident by their size. It can also be used for storing different audio streams on various PC’s and devices.
	CD A more modernised storage format, it was originally made to only play sound but was soon made to store data. Replacing the more well-known cassette tapes for quite a while, CD discs can hold more data. CD discs generally hold more data than a cassette and vinyl, so you can get more music for your money. They can generally hold more than 80 minutes of audio; this is substantial and great for journeys. However they’re not as convenient as their prior successor. Portable CD players don’t have the convenience of Walkman devices, which were more convenient. This was mainly due to the fact they were not as clunky or in the way. The problem with CD players is they are the size of a CD, but bigger since it’s like a shell for the disc to play in.	AIFF Developed by Apple Inc. This type of file format is standard use for storing sound data for personal computers and devices. Mainly it is used on Apple Macintosh computers, unlike the Mp3 format, AIFF is uncompressed which results in steaming multiple audio files in a lossless method.
	Cassette Cassette tapes are tapes that used to average about 60 minutes of audio at their time, significant. They had two tiny spools, and were cased in the shell and were used to help export the sound through headphones or speakers.	FLAC It is lossless unlike the format of Mp3, so it’s quality will always be better than Mp3. It will not lose its quality when streaming and playing back audio.
	Vinyl An analog storage system used to play music, generally more old than the newer CD’s. It was the primary method of listening to music at one point, by the 1980’s the vinyl was leaving and replaced by the CD itself. Around the 1990’s, the vinyl was gone, the CD took its place. They were often played on gramophones, which used a needle to read the waves and play them out of a speaker.

The first audio example on my Pinterest board is a podcast, I believe that it was produced in a studio that was also on a certain location at the time. The audio quality is very good and the way they talk indicates it's a podcast, not scripted, nor is it planned, it is purely an interview that is done on the spot.

The podcast is about the famous AMC show 'The Walking Dead', it is discussing the progress of the show at that point in time with the actors on the show. They ask about what they think certain characters will do and how they are reacting to the current situation at that point.

It sounds like the equipment used are simple mics, possibly condenser USB mics, they have the efficiency to record decent audio, but aren't worth that much (about £32.45/$49.99). They can be reliable enough to record audio needed and are easily transportable, they're mobile and are great for setting up a podcast like this one on the go.

The other audio product that is on my Pinterest board to consider is the sound design video which covers the sound design for the video game 'Halo 4'. It has interviews and views from many different developers on the program and how they work and how much they enjoy the creativity of it.

The equipment that seems to have been used looks like more expensive, high-tech gear, but with sound effects, they use more than gear to make them. They also use their bodies and other pieces of household items to experiment and create new sounds and ideas. They also use dynamic mics, these are known to be better at recording audio and record little ambiance. They average about £300 due to their power and efficiency.

The last audio product on my Pinterest board is the radio show Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy. A radio series that was evidently produced in a studio due to the quality of the audio and script. I think the mic that they used was that of a high-end one, costing hundreds of dollers/pounds.

They did a great job on the show and it has a household name as a result, their equipment would have been high-end at the time and it's clear that it costed them a lot of money to produce.