1. A method of selecting a respective coding model for encoding consecutive sections of an audio signal, wherein at least one coding model optimized for a first type of audio content and at least one coding model optimized for a second type of audio content are available for selection, said method comprising: selecting for each section of said audio signal a coding model based on at least one signal characteristic indicating the type of audio content in the respective section, if viable; and selecting for each remaining section of said audio signal, for which a selection based on said at least one signal characteristic is not viable, a coding model based on a statistical evaluation of the coding models which have been selected based on said at least one signal characteristic for neighboring sections of the respective remaining section.