Principles of Digital Audio, Sixth Edition (Digital Video/Audio)
The definitive guide to digital engineering--fully updated
Gain a thorough understanding of digital audio tools, techniques, and practices from this completely revised and expanded resource. Written by industry pioneer and Audio Engineering Society Fellow Ken C. Pohlmann, Principles of Digital Audio, Sixth Edition, describes the technologies behind today's audio equipment in a clear, practical style. Covering basic theory to the latest technological advancements, the book explains how to apply digital conversion, processing, compression, storage, streaming, and transmission concepts. New chapters on Blu-ray, speech coding, and low bit-rate coding are also included in this bestselling guide.
- Learn about discrete time sampling, quantization, and signal processing
- Examine details of CD, DVD, and Blu-ray players and discs
- Encode and decode AAC, MP3, MP4, Dolby Digital, and other files
- Prepare content for distribution via the Internet and digital radio and television
- Learn the critical differences between music coding and speech coding
- Design low bit-rate codecs to optimize memory capacity while preserving fidelity
- Develop methodologies to evaluate the sound quality of music and speech files
- Study audio transmission via HDMI, VoIP, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth
- Handle digital rights management, fingerprinting, and watermarking
- Understand how one-bit conversion and high-order noise shaping work
Why Read This Book
You should read this book if you need a practical, single-volume reference that explains how digital audio systems are built and why they behave as they do — from sampling and quantization to perceptual coding and distribution. It mixes engineering fundamentals with real-world standards and implementation trade-offs so you can both understand measurements and make informed design choices.
Who Will Benefit
Audio and speech engineers, systems designers, and technically-minded producers who need a practical grounding in digital audio technologies and the standards used in production, storage, and transmission.
Level: Intermediate — Prerequisites: Basic signals & systems ideas (sampling, frequency domain intuition), basic math (calculus and linear algebra), and familiarity with audio/analog fundamentals is helpful.
Key Takeaways
- Explain the theory and practical consequences of sampling, quantization, and aliasing in digital audio chains.
- Evaluate ADC and DAC architectures and performance metrics (SNR, THD, jitter) for real systems.
- Apply digital filtering and multirate techniques commonly used in audio (anti-aliasing, interpolation, decimation, equalization).
- Describe perceptual audio coding principles and assess low-bit-rate codecs (MP3, AAC, speech coders) and their trade-offs.
- Design and troubleshoot audio signal chains for storage and distribution (CD, DVD, Blu-ray, streaming) and understand interface standards (AES, S/PDIF).
Topics Covered
- Introduction and brief history of digital audio
- Analog audio fundamentals and signal chains
- Sampling theory, aliasing, and reconstruction
- Quantization, noise, and dynamic range
- ADC and DAC architectures and performance
- Digital filters, equalization, and FIR/IIR basics
- Multirate processing and sample-rate conversion
- Spectral analysis and FFT applications in audio
- Psychoacoustics and perceptual coding principles
- Speech coding and low bit-rate codecs
- Audio compression formats (MP3, AAC) and standards
- Storage and distribution: CD, DVD, Blu-ray, and streaming
- Audio interfaces, synchronization, and metadata
- Measurement, testing, and practical troubleshooting
- Emerging topics and industry standards
Languages, Platforms & Tools
How It Compares
More application- and standards-oriented than Zölzer's Digital Audio Signal Processing (which is more DSP-math focused) and more audio-specific than Lyons' Understanding Digital Signal Processing, making Pohlmann a practical industry reference rather than a DSP textbook.
