Can digital audio be called sample based?

As apart of this computer audio report I need to write about computer audio tecniques. I have mentioned MIDI and wave style audio format. However waveform audio called sample based?
I have refered to this as sample based audio but will the tutor know what I mean by that?

 

ok,
if you mean wave table audio as used by soundblaser awe 32's, gravis ultrasounds and certain e-mu keyboards etc. then yes this is sample based. basicly there is a palette of samples in rom (some allow uploading to ram too) which are played back frequency shifted for the notes.
if you are referring to the old fm synthesis or asdr based computer audio from as far back as the comodore 64 and very early pc soundcards then no this is not sample based.
you should probably clarify that you mean the former and not the latter
cheers


julian

 

By sample based I mean digital audio like CD, waveforms etc. For example CD takes a sample of the recording every 44,100th of a second.

I've just realised I've been calling it sample based audio but not seen that term in written down anywhere.

I don't mean MIDI. I suppose what I should have said is are DACs sample based?

 

midi is olny a controll system,on its own it wont produce any sounds,its olny a method of telling the noise making machines (and other stuff)whats going on

 

Pretty much the only applications of digital audio that are not sample based are certain types of additive synthesis such as FM (frequency modulation) as used in synthesisers such as the Yamaha DX7 and old (i.e. crap) computer sound cards like the original Sound Blaster. Everything else tends to be replaying a digital sample of a real (i.e. analogue) event, this includes all digital music formats (CD, MP3 etc) and almost all current synthesisers and soundcards.

The only other method of digital sound synthesis I am aware of is 'virtual modelling', these synths model the basic waveforms digitally with fancy maths rather than replaying a sampled waveform, and can be found in hardware synths like the Korg MS2000 (I've got one) etc and many Cubase VST virtual synth plugins.

Tony.

 

Thanks that has put my mind at rest. Lets just hope he dosn't mark me down for going on about how bad quality DACs found in poor quality sound cards can make the sound harsh etc.