Adaptive Delta (Differential) Pulse Code Modulation. A type of split-band, time-domain audio compression algorithm for 16-bit digital audio based on describing level differences between adjacent samples. Different from conventional linear PCM by coding only level differences between samples, rather than the absolute level of each sample. According to the characteristics of the audio signal, ADPCM adapts the step size represented by each quantizing interval to accommodate rapid changes in level caused by high frequencies or transients, thereby providing an overall reduction in bit rate; the compression ratio is 4:1. There are at least two ADPCM standards: Microsoft and IMA/ADPCM, the latter popular for multimedia applications. See delta modulation, split-band, sub-band, transform coding.