Audio coding method and apparatus

Encoder and method thereof for encoding an audio signal, where a frequency spectrum of the audio signal is divided into a first and a second region, where at least the second region comprises several bands. Furthermore, the spectral peaks in the first region are coded by a first coding method. The method provided herein comprises: for a segment of the audio signal: determining a relationship between the energy of a band in the second region and an estimate of energy in the first region. The method further comprises determining a relationship between the energy of the band in the second region and the average energy of the second region. The method further comprises determining whether an available number of bits is sufficient to encode at least one non-peak segment of the first region and the band in the second region. Further,</p> <p>(Automatic translation with Google Translate, without legal value)