A sample refers to a value or set of values at a point in time and/or space. The defining point of a sample is that it is a chosen value out of a continuous signal. The sample need not be discrete or digital (a common misunderstanding).
A theoretical sampler multiplies a continuous signal with a Dirac comb. This multiplication "picks out" values but the result is still a continuous function; just zero at non-sampling locations. If this signal is then discretized (i.e., converted into a sequence) and quantized along all dimensions it becomes a discrete signal.
Sampling is also possible with tape loops or with vinyl records on a phonograph.
Ironically, the sample in question had been so distorted as to be virtually unrecognisable, and SAW didn't realize their record had been used until they heard co-producer Dave Dorrell mention it in a radio interview.
In the user interface of application software, samples are often used as startup sounds which are heard in conjunction with a splash screen or as audio cues to alert the user to events such as the receipt of email or the recording of a transaction, for example.
Digitalsampling, PCMsampling, or just sampling is the process of representing a signal waveform as a series of numbers which represent the measurement of the sound's amplitude, taken at regular intervals.
Sampling produces a series of values which may be represented in various ways - the output from the process can be a series of analog pulses (Pulse-height modulation) or a series of fixed amplitude pulses (Pulse position modulation or Pulse-width modulation.
In digitalsampling, the accuracy of the resulting waveform is also affected by the stepwise nature of the digitising process, resulting in what is referred to as 'Quantisation error.
Feeds |
Contact