Definition
**AIFC** is a Python module that aids with the reading and writing of AIFF and AIFF-C files. AIFF is an acronym for **Audio Interchange File Format**, a format used for storing digital audio samples in a file. On the other hand, **AIFF-C** is a newer model with the ability to **Compress** the audio data.
Parameters
Below are the parameters that help to describe audio data.
* **Sampling rate or frame rate:** The number of times per second the sound is sampled.
* **Number of channels:** This indicates if the audio is mono, stereo, or quadro.
* **Frame:** This consists of one sample per channel.
* **Sample size:** The byte size of each sample.
`getnchannels()`
The **`open()` function** is a defined function embedded in the AIFC module. This function takes two arguments when called, the file and mode. A **file** may be represented by a string name or file object, while the *mode's* `r` and `w` represent reading and writing.
When a file is opened for reading, the objects returned have several methods that can then be applied to it. Nonetheless, the focus here is on the `getnchannels()` method, which returns the number of audio channels1 for mono, 2 for stereo.
Audio Channels
* **Mono:** This type of audio file only contains a single audio channel.
* **Stereo:** This type of audio file contain two audio channels.