[P] is it necessary to convert audio data from analog to digital?

Submitted by SSC_08 t3_yazfo3 in MachineLearning

I'm creating an ML audio diagnosis and was unsure if I should invest in an analog-to-digital converter, it if the program can turn the analog signals directly into a spectrogram

Edit: A microphone will record sound and then run it through an ML model. The main hardware components will be the microphone and a Raspberry Pi, which will hold the program.

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rehrev t1_ite43um wrote

Seems like you don't understand what an analog signal is

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flashdude64 t1_iteg9rh wrote

Are you getting the signal from an old turntable or something? Else, I am confused by this question as well

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SSC_08 OP t1_itiymkh wrote

Sorry for not making this clear-

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I'm using a microphone to record sound and then running it through a machine-learning model. The main hardware components will be the microphone and a Raspberry Pi, which will hold the program.

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sugar_scoot t1_itexham wrote

If your ML is running on a computer, it's digital. If your ML is running on some bare metal capacitors/ inductors circuit board then sure, keep it analog.

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blablanonymous t1_itf1o9u wrote

I really hope it’s the latter

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vman512 t1_itiy510 wrote

OP must have built their own neuromorphic chip

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SSC_08 OP t1_itiyx16 wrote

>I'm looking at creating the machine learning model either on a custom app or using a Raspberry Pi.
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>From what I'm understanding, it should be digital if run on the app, and analog if run on Pi. Is this correct?
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>So sorry for all the questions, this is still new to me :)

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vman512 t1_itj1y28 wrote

Any software that processes audio uses a digital representation of audio. Only when designing circuits would you ever be dealing with analog signals, for example a guitar amp.

You may be confusing analog/digital with the concept of time-domain (waveforms) vs frequency domain (spectrograms).

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Mysterious_Tekro t1_itexsrm wrote

You will probably be having trouble working with Audio if you don't know The basic things like analogue and Digital

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f10101 t1_itii7b6 wrote

You already have an A-D converter. It's built into every laptop or computer.

Just plug whatever analogue source you've got into the computer's audio input, and you will instantly have a digital version available to you to record or turn into a spectrogram.

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SSC_08 OP t1_itiz1wy wrote

Sounds good! Is this the same process for microprocessors and such (Raspberry Pi)?

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f10101 t1_itj0yxm wrote

Functionally, the process is the exact same as you would do on a computer, but for these, yes, you will need an ADC module. (as the Rpi doesn't have an audio-in built in).

For sanity's sake, I would recommend getting something like a USB audio interface, or a dedicated audio ADC module that contains all the audio stuff (rather than working with a generic ADC and trying to make it work for audio). Something like: https://thepihut.com/products/hifiberry-dac-adc might be a good option to start with, perhaps?

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SSC_08 OP t1_itk2mzu wrote

Sounds good! So just confirming, if I plan to use a raspberry pi, it would make sense to invest in an ADC module compatible with pi, correct?

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f10101 t1_itk7xxf wrote

Yes. Or I believe you can use a USB mic that is compatible with the pi.

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SSC_08 OP t1_itleanh wrote

Okay, so if I already have a USB mic compatible, I don't need the ADC converter?

Sorry for all the questions and thank you for your help!

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f10101 t1_itlg968 wrote

Yes, exactly.

A USB mic is a normal mic that has a hidden built-in adc.

It sends you the digital signal over the USB cable.

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S_parker472 t1_itdtyeb wrote

What kind of diagnosis are you gonna perform?

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