Real audio signals spend more time at low amplitudes than high amplitudes

Evidence

The net result of this is that instead of using a fixed number of bits for each symbol we need to use a number of bits that is related to the information carried by that symbol. For example, we know that in a real audio signal the signal spends much more time at low ampli­ tudes than high amplitudes, so low amplitudes carry less information and should be encoded with fewer bits than high signal levels. — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 2633

Categorization

• XREF: The low-amplitude bias of real audio connects to loudness statistics and the basic shape of program material, relevant to the reader’s broader psychoacoustic project.