In general, conventional rate converters include two major computation blocks, as illustrated in FIG. 1. A first block is a conversion rate tracking loop that determines the ratio between an input sample rate and output sample rate. Once the ratio is determined, the conversion rate tracking loop generates the corresponding input sample index for each output sample.
The second computation block is the sample interpolator. The function of this block is to interpolate the input data sample and to generate the output data sample with the real value index. One problem with conventional rate converters is that they create aliasing from the resampling, and it is relatively difficult to produce an output signal having a high Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) and having a relatively flat frequency response within standard frequency ranges for audio signals.
Embodiments of the invention address this and other limitations of the prior art.