Audio coding method and apparatus

An audio encoder and a method for encoding an audio signal, wherein a frequency spectrum of the audio signal is divided into a first and a second region, wherein at least the second region comprises a plurality of bands. Furthermore, the spectral peak segments in the first region are encoded using a first coding method, and at least one non-peak segment in the first region is encoded using a second coding method different from the first coding method. A relationship between an energy of a band in the second region and energies of the spectral peaks in the first region is determined. The method further comprises determining a ratio between the energy of the band in the second region and an average energy of the second region. The method further comprises determining whether an available number of bits is sufficient to encode the band in the second region. Furthermore, when the ratios meet a predetermined criterion and the number of bits is sufficient, the band in the second region is encoded using the second encoding method. (Automatic translation with Google Translate, no legal value)