This section gives a very cursory overview of computer audio technology, in order to help you understand the concepts used later in the document. You should consult a book on digital audio or digital signal processing in order to learn more. The process of analog to digital conversion, known as sampling, introduces some error. Two factors are key in determining how well the sampled signal represents the original. A low sampling rate will provide a less accurate representation of the analog signal.
Sample size is the range of values used to represent each sample, usually expressed in bits.
The larger the sample size, the more accurate the digitized signal will be. Sound cards commonly use 8 or 16 bit samples at sampling rates from about 4000 to 44,000 samples per second. FM Synthesis is an older technique for producing sound. Many sound cards provide FM synthesis for backward compatibility with older cards and software. Several independent sound generators or voices are usually provided.