Principles of Digital Audio (Paperback)

by Ken C. Pohlmann (Author), Ken C. Pohlman (Author) "Digital audio is highly sophisticated technology..." (more)
Key Phrases: requantization noise, digital audio reference signal, pdf dither, Dolby Digital, Red Book, Audio Manager (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Use this updated classic as a reference or learning tool for the "exploding" world of the multimedia age! Principles of Digital Audio - 3rd Edition Now audio and computer users can understand the new technologies that are transforming the digital audio industry. This essential reference work combines state-of-the-art digital audio theory with practical examples of applications to provide a solid foundation for audio designers and engineers. Detailed discussion, written in a highly readable style, is augmented by over 300 illustrations to present breakthroughs in digital audio technology for the multimedia age. Topics include: digital audio fundamentals; optical storage and trasnmission; perceptual coding theory; recording and reproduction; interfacing and networking; broadcasting.

From the Back Cover
THE #1 BEST-SELLING BOOK ON DIGITAL AUDIO ENGINEERING

This definitive text provides comprehensive coverage of today’s leading digital audio technologies as well as a thorough survey of fundamentals and theory. Written by well-known audio engineering expert and best-selling author Ken Pohlmann, four previous editions have been valued for their clear explanations and have been widely used as college texts and professional references. The fifth edition of Principles of Digital Audio has been extensively updated and revised to reflect ongoing widespread changes in the audio industry.

Beginning with an in-depth discussion of digital audio recording and reproduction, the text then details perceptual low bit-rate coding, CD and DVD disc formats, digital audio broadcasting, internet and network audio, and DSP. From the basic theory to the latest technological advancements, Principles of Digital Audio completely covers this multifaceted field, including topics such as:

• MP3, AAC, and Dolby Digital audio coding
• DVD playback and recording formats
• PC-based desktop audio systems
• 5.1-channel surround-sound coding
• HD Radio and satellite radio
• Music downloading and streaming
• Digital signal processing

ALL THE ESSENTIALS OF DIGITAL AUDIO
* Sound and Numbers * Fundamental Theory * Digital Audio Recording * Digital Audio Reproduction * Error Correction * Digital Audio Tape * Optical Disc Storage * Compact Disc and SACD * Recordable CD * Interconnection * Perceptual Coding: Theory and Applications * MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 * MP3 Codec * MPEG-4 and AAC * Psychoacoustic Models * Surround Sound Coding * Lossless Coding * DVD-Video and DVD-Audio * Recordable DVD * HD-DVD and Blu-ray * Minidisc * Desktop Audio * Network Audio * Downloadable and Streaming Internet Audio * File Formats * Digital Rights Management * Watermarking and Encryption * MPEG-7 * Digital Radio and TV Broadcasting * HD Radio * Satellite Radio * Digital Audio Workstations * Digital Signal Processing: Theory and Applications * Sigma Delta Conversion and Noise Shaping --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 650 pages
• Publisher: Mcgraw-Hill (Tx); 3rd edition (September 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0070504695
• ISBN-13: 978-0070504691
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,693,315 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good reference for electronics engineers, April 11, 2006

By	calvinnme "Texan refugee" (Fredericksburg, Va) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Principles of Digital Audio (Paperback)

First off, this book is in its fifth edition, and Amazon has lumped together reviews of all editions of this book. So the oldest review shown, written in 1998, is speaking of the 3rd edition, and reviews written prior to 2005 are talking about the 4th edition.
This book is more about the principles of digital audio hardware design than anything. The author, also a college professor, starts with the absolute beginning and the binary number system, sampling, quantization, aliasing, and dither and then moves into all of the topics that you need to design and analyze modern digital audio systems. However, if the information in the first two chapters is news to you, chances are the rest of the book will be over your head. The book is full of flow charts, frequency response diagrams, and detailed block diagrams of actual systems. What it is lacking in is any kind of signal processing mathematics to explain the detailed theory behind what is being covered. There is a chapter entitled "Digital Signal Processing", but it barely introduces and defines the terms. It does show some assembly code for performing some simple filtering tasks, though, but that's the extent of the coverage. If you didn't know DSP before you read this chapter, you certainly won't know it after you read this chapter. The book does a pretty good job of discussing some of the more popular audio standards including MP3. I think this book is best suited for someone with an electronics/electrical engineering background that already knows the theory of digital signal processing and wants to apply that knowledge to the actual design and analysis of digital audio processing systems. Amazon shows the table of contents from the 4th edition, so I show the detailed table of contents for the 5th edition here:
Sound and Numbers
Fundamental Theory
Digital Audio Recording
Digital Audio Reproduction
Error Correction
Digital Audio Tape
Optical Disc Storage
Compact Disc and SACD
Recordable CD
Interconnection
Perceptual Coding: Theory and Applications
MPEG-1 and MPEG-2
MP3 Codec
MPEG-4 and AAC
Psychoacoustic Models
Surround Sound Coding
Lossless Coding
DVD-Video and DVD-Audio
Recordable DVD
HD-DVD and Blu-ray
Minidisc
Desktop Audio
Network Audio
Downloadable and Streaming Internet Audio
File Formats
Digital Rights Management
Watermarking and Encryption
MPEG-7
Digital Radio and TV Broadcasting
HD Radio
Satellite Radio
Digital Audio Workstations
Digital Signal Processing: Theory and Applications
Sigma Delta Conversion and Noise Shaping

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Compromize Between Theory And Practice, January 4, 2000

By	T. Frank (Arizona) - See all my reviews

This book is an excellent primer for current technology in digital audio systems. He keeps the obscure mathematics to a minimum, and introduces you to the great amount of technique available in the field today. I found this book, 1st edition, in the library -- and soon after bought the latest edition. An excellent value for the money, and useful to anyone trying to keep up with the digital techniques.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent survey of the digital audio landscape., April 23, 1998

By A Customer

An excellent intermediate survey of the digital audio landscape. This text covers conversion, signal processing, channel coding and storage as well as current implementations of the technology. Good illustrations are included for visual reinforcement. Pohlmann's breezy writing style guides the reader from basic physics through dense theoretical discussion to practical examples. A freshman college background in physics and mathematics is useful though not essential.