Sound and music

The hardware, software and techniques used for sound MP3 players: play music files stored digitally in MP3 file format are small and portable can store thousands of music tracks are now part of many mobile phones.

Sound cards Circuit boards containing chips and other components. Allow high quality music/sound to be produced.

Microphones are input devices used to enter voice, sounds, live music, etc.

Speakers and headphones are output devices used to output the sound/music after processing by the computer.

MIDI Musical Instrument Digital Interface allows musical instruments to transfer music to a computer where it can be edited and stored MIDI can play back the stored music using the device used to create it keyboards use MIDI.

Sound conversion (analogue to digital and digital to analogue) Sound is an analogue signal (i.e. constantly varying). Nearly all computers process digital data. The analogue sound needs to be converted (i.e. digitized). An analogue-to-digital converter is used. To play back the music, the digital data is converted to analogue using a digital-to-analogue converter.

Analogue to digital and digital to analogue conversion

Sequencers Hardware or software used to manage music. Drum machines are an example – they play a series of note in a set order automatically. Music workstations can also provide sequencers.

Notators (music composition software) Software that allows you to compose your own music. Enter notes into the computer via the keyboard, a MIDI system or scanning a piece of music on paper using a scanner.

Sound wave editors Allows sound waves to be altered. You can alter, cut, paste and have effects such as echo, amplification and noise reduction applied.