Sampling Rate and Bit Depth

In home recording and music production you will need to know and understand the terms sampling rate and bit depth, here is a quick primer...

Analog to digital converters are used to sample an analog signal for recording. The rate at which the converter measures the waveform for each second of sound is called the sampling rate.

As a rule of thumb: the higher the sampling-rate the better. This means that the more samples that are taken per second, the wider the frequency response of the recording will be. Simply put, the higher the sampling-rate, the more clarity and detail will be captured on each track.

Bit Depth is the number of words in a digital signal. Sparing you the technical jargon, the higher the bit depth means the higher the resolution will be, thus it will sound better. However, be advised that the higher the bit depth and sampling rate, the harder it is on your CPU. Testing the sound differences and getting to know your D.A.W. will help you understand what suits you.

CD quality is 16 Bit 44.1k (44,100 samples per second.) This sampling rate and bit depth is the modern standard for a compact disk. There have been advances in this technology over the last few years. Today, music software and D.A.W. are capable of conversion rates at, 16, 18, 20, 24 and 32 bit word lengths, 44.1, 48, 96, 192 KHZ sampling-rates.

Happy Home Recording! Jamie