What does the computer hold before spike sorting, and where are the neurons in it? · Lobeworks/17

A matrix of voltages, V(t,c)V(t, c)V(t,c): one row per sample, every 33 µs, and one column per channel, filled with converter counts.

What does the computer hold before spike sorting, and where are the neurons in it?

A matrix of voltages, V(t,c)V(t, c)V(t,c): one row per sample, every 33 µs, and one column per channel, filled with converter counts. There are no neurons in it yet, only traces; the probe never reports that a neuron fired. Spike sorting is what turns the matrix into spike trains, a list of firing times for each estimated unit (neuron 1 at 0.101 s, 0.237 s, 0.301 s, and so on).