The kind of compression often applied to a sound wavefORm. Logarithmic compression is a good match fOR the human ear' s sensitivity but cannot handle zero amplitude (fOR which the logarithm is negative infinity). There are two standard compression functions which give a smooth transition between the logarithmic function and a linear segment passing through the ORigin: mu-law (NORth America) and A-law (ITU-T). (1995-02-21)