Question

In a waveform audio file (WAV), an audio wave is sampled and turned into data bits in the computer's sound card. What two factors define the quality of the computer's sound card?

Answer 1

The quality of a computer's sound card is defined by two key factors: sampling rate and bit depth. The sampling rate determines the frequency range that can be captured, while the bit depth defines the resolution and dynamic range of each sound sample.

Step-by-step explanation:

The two factors that define the quality of a computer's sound card when converting analog sound waves into digital data like WAV files are sampling rate and bit depth. The sampling rate, often measured in kilohertz (kHz), determines how many samples of the sound are taken per second. A higher sampling rate captures more of the frequency spectrum, with standard CD quality at 44.1 kHz, capturing frequencies just more than 20 kHz, which is just above the hearing range of humans.

Meanwhile, bit depth defines the resolution of each sample. This refers to the number of bits of information in each sample, effectively determining the dynamic range, with a higher bit depth representing the audio with more precision. Standard CD quality has a bit depth of 16 bits, which provides a dynamic range of 96 dB.