Re: MIDI files on IIgs?

[Eric Jacobs <no@no.no>]

pubpc1@library.ucla.edu wrote:
> 
> Here's a question for you: what does 16-bit resolution gain?  It
> seems to me that it makes for more subtle differences in volume.
> An 8-bit sample can have 256 levels of intensity, correct?  A 16-bit
> sample would then have 2^16 = 64K levels of intensity.  This is
> independent of sampling rate, which measures the frequencies that
> can be captured.  The Ensoniq is not bad in terms of sampling rate
> (yes, it has a filter, but as someone pointed out, it is only
> cutting above the Nyquist frequency, which would be heard of as
> noise, at a frequency appropriate for a chip that has a maximum
> sampling rate of around 56kHz).
> 

The difference between 8-bit and 16-bit resolution in sampled sound
is ALMOST NOTHING. What makes the difference in the quality of the
sound is the sampling rate, and consequently, the reproduction of
the high frequencies of the sound. The reason that 16-bit digital
sound has become such a buzzword is the same reason that we hear
all of these "-bit" measurements-- that it sounds fancy. And I'll
admit, the difference between 8-bit and 16-bit color does make
a significant improvement. But for sound, where quality is
determined by the reproduction of a wide range of frequencies,
16-bit samples take up twice as much space and provide very little
actual sound improvement.

-ej