A method for encoding of an audio signal comprises performing (214) of a transform of the audio signal. An energy offset is selected (216) for each of the first subbands. An energy measure of a first reference band within a low band of an encoding of a synthesis signal is obtained (212). The first high band is encoded (220) by providing quantization indices representing a respective scalar quantization of a spectrum envelope in the first subbands of the first high band relative to the energy measure of the first reference band by use of the selected energy offset. An encoder apparatus comprises means for carrying out the steps of the method. Corresponding decoder methods and apparatuses are also described.