Prompt Cast
The Impact of Digital Audio on the Music and Audio Business
TLDR This episode explores how sound is converted into digital form and how the digitization of sound has revolutionized the music and audio business. From the first commercial digital recordings in the late 1970s to the introduction of MP3 compression and the rise of digital music sharing and streaming services, digital audio has transformed the way we consume and share music.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Almost all audio consumed today is digitally recorded or edited, but sound is inherently analog, so this episode explores how sound is converted into digital form and how the digitization of sound has impacted the music and audio business.
02:21
Digital audio works by converting analog sound waves, which are continuous, into discrete and digital representations by approximating the shape of the wave with rectangles on a graph.
04:30
Sampling, the process of turning analog into digital, was first proposed for telegraph transmissions and was later used for voice signals in 1937, but it wasn't until computers arose that the practical applications for pulse code modulation became obvious.
06:46
The first commercial digital recordings were created and released in the late 1970s, with Sony and 3M creating prototype digital recording systems and Phillips and Sony jointly unveiling the prototype of the compact disc player in 1979.
09:03
The CD was introduced in 1981 with a sample rate of 44.1 kHz and a bit depth of 16, and it quickly became the most popular digital format for music.
11:20
The introduction of MP3 compression allowed for smaller audio files, making it possible to transfer music over slow internet connections and leading to the rise of digital music sharing and streaming services like Napster and Spotify.
13:32
Analog sound is not superior to digital sound, as studies have shown that people cannot tell the difference between the two, especially at high sample rates and bit depth.
