>Is an audio stream really just a bunch of samples of volume? Yes. > I had always assumed you needed to record different wavelengths of sound to capture diffe

>Is an audio stream really just a bunch of samples of volume? Yes. > I had always assumed you needed to record different wavelengths of sound to capture different pitches Why? Look at a mono vinyl record. It has a single groove, which is the soundwave carved into the vinyl. Digital audio is the same, except you store a digital image of the groove. >Is my mental model completely wrong? Yes. >How do you get such variety in sound just from recording the volume? By recording the volume 44100 times per second.