A method for determining a characteristic data set ("fingerprint") for a sound signal, the sound signal itself is searched through for characteristic locations, and these characteristics locations are used for producing a characteristic data set. For this the frequency spectrum is evaluated over a time interval, subdivided into frequency bands, and averaged over each frequency band into a value. The fingerprint then consists of data that has been obtained from these values after possible further averagings, wherein only data is included which belongs to certain time segments.