Redundancy

The repetition of information in a message so that it becomes increasingly unlikely for mistakes to occur in its transmission or reception. Natural languages have a high rate of redundancy. English, for instance, is estimated to be 75% redundant; that is, sentences are 75% longer than if the alphabet were used as efficiently as possible for coding messages.

See: Communication. Compare: Noise.

By extension, many repetitive sounds may be found in the contemporary lo-fi soundscape, where their redundant character reflects their mechanical or electrical origin.

See: Drone, Hum, Keynote Sound, Stationary Sound.