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Signals can be sample-based or frame-based, single channel or multichannel. The following figure shows a discrete-time signal. If this signal is propagated through a model sample-by-sample, rather than in batches of samples, it is called a sample-based signal. It is also single-channel signal, because there is only one independent sequence of numbers.

The representation of single-channel signals is actually a special case of the general multichannel signal.
Sample-based multichannel signals are represented as matrices. An M-by-N sample-based matrix represents M*N independent channels, each containing a single value. In other words, each matrix element represents one sample from a distinct channel.
As an example, consider the 24-channel (6-by-4) sample-based signal in the figure below, where ut=0 is the first matrix in the series, ut=1 is the second, ut=2 is the third, and so on.

The signal in channel 1 is composed of the following sequence:
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Similarly, channel 9 (counting down the columns) contains the following sequence:
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In practice, signal samples are frequently transmitted in batches, or frames, and several channels of data are often transmitted simultaneously in order to accelerate simulations. Hence, most signals are frame-based and multichannel signals.
![]() | Continuous-Time Signals | Frame-Based Signals | ![]() |

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