Low Bit-Rate Audio Coding in Multi-Channel Digital Wireless Microphone Systems

Despite advances in voice and data communications in other domains, sound production for live events (concerts, theatre, conferences, sports, worship, etc) still largely depends on spectrum-inefficient forms of analogue wireless microphone technology. In these live scenarios, low-latency transmission of high-quality audio is mission critical. This paper examines the key performance aspects of low bit rate audio codecs for the next generation of bandwidth-efficient digital wireless microphone systems that meet the future needs of live events.