Audio Watermarking Through Parametric Synthesis Models

This chapter promotes the use of parametric synthesis models in digital audio watermarking. It argues that, because human auditory perception is not a linear process, the optimal hiding of binary data in digital audio signals should consider parametric transforms that are generally nonlinear. To support this argument, an audio watermarking algorithm based on aligning frequencies of spectral peaks to grid points is presented as a case study; its robustness is evaluated and benefits are discussed. Toward the end, research directions are suggested, including watermark-aided sound source segregation, cocktail watermarking, and counter-measure against arithmetic collusive attacks.