Encoding the audio data

For the audio file to be encoded into a bit-image that is ready to be laser-engraved, there are multiple steps of conversion, compression and formatting that are necessary.

• convert .wav audio file to the minimal compression possible (8bit, 4000 sample rate)
• extract the raw waveform data out of the wavefile
• convert the 8bit numbers into 8 bits of 0 or 1
• render the bit list into a grid of white and black squares.
• shape the bit grid to the dimensions of the clay piece which will be lasered

There are multiple ways in which this process can be greatly improved, certain approaches are intentionally avoided, such as more "abstract" modes of compression, which would make the data smaller but more fragile.

For cases in which the reading process needs to have a higher level of confidence, redundancy of data should be implemented, but that would require a much greater amount of space for the same amount of information.

translation of the audio voices into a 2d grid for later to be converted to bits