Sonnox Fraunhofer Codec Toolbox - Manual (Page 3)

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1 Introduction
The Sonnox Fraunhofer Codec Toolbox is designed for real-time auditioning of audio signals by the
Fraunhofer codecs, in addition to offline decoding, encoding and metadata editing of the resulting
files.
Mixing engineers can produce compensated mixes optimised towards specific target codecs,
thereby ensuring maximum fidelity. Similarly, mastering engineers may audition material in the final
format, and produce compensated, optimised masters for final encoding and distribution.
The Codec Toolbox Plug-in provides an interface to choose from a range of codec types and
settings. When inserted on a DAW main output, the Toolbox plug-in allows real-time comparison
between the input signal and the encoded/decoded signal. The plug-in includes meters to indicate
input level and the presence of overloads caused by the encoding process. These will require
correction to ensure an optimised bit-stream level for the target codec. The NMR METER (Noise-
to-Mask Ratio) will indicate the frequency range(s) where encoding artefacts and codec-induced
noise might be audible.
Having created your mix and bounced to WAV or AIFF, the Codec Toolbox Manager is where
offline encoding takes place, and where metadata can be added or edited. It is also possible to
decode previously compressed files to WAV or AIFF formats.
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