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Sample Rate Converter

Compare audio sample rates — 8 kHz telephone, 44.1 kHz CD, 48 kHz video, 96/192 kHz hi-res, 384 kHz ultra hi-end. Shows Nyquist frequency, aliasing threshold, data rate, and PCM file-size estimates for any duration, bit depth, and channel count.

Input

Sample Rate

Selected: 44,100 Hz

Custom Sample Rate

Bit Depth

Channels

Duration (for file size)

Result

Nyquist Frequency (max representable signal)

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SR / 2

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Sample Period

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Data Rate (decimal)

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PCM File Size (uncompressed)

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⚠ Aliasing

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Formulas

Nyquist = Sample Rate / 2

Sample period = 1 / Sample Rate

Bytes/sec = SR × (bit depth / 8) × channels

File size = Bytes/sec × duration (PCM, no compression)

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Common Audio Sample Rates Compared

Sample Rate	Nyquist	16-bit Stereo Data Rate	1 min file size	Typical Use
8 kHz	4 kHz	32 KB/s	~1.9 MB	Landline telephone
11.025 kHz	5.5 kHz	44.1 KB/s	~2.6 MB	Low-quality voice
16 kHz	8 kHz	64 KB/s	~3.8 MB	Wideband VoIP, AMR-WB
22.05 kHz	11.025 kHz	88.2 KB/s	~5.3 MB	Low-fi audio, old games
32 kHz	16 kHz	128 KB/s	~7.7 MB	FM radio quality
44.1 kHz	22.05 kHz	176.4 KB/s	~10.6 MB	CD Audio standard
48 kHz	24 kHz	192 KB/s	~11.5 MB	DVD, broadcast, pro video
88.2 kHz	44.1 kHz	352.8 KB/s	~21.2 MB	Hi-res audio (2× CD)
96 kHz	48 kHz	384 KB/s	~23.0 MB	DVD-Audio, professional
176.4 kHz	88.2 kHz	705.6 KB/s	~42.3 MB	Hi-res audio (4× CD)
192 kHz	96 kHz	768 KB/s	~46.1 MB	Blu-ray, studio mastering
352.8 kHz	176.4 kHz	1.41 MB/s	~84.7 MB	DXD mastering format
384 kHz	192 kHz	1.54 MB/s	~92.2 MB	Ultra hi-end audio

About Sample Rates, Nyquist & Aliasing

Sample rate is how many times per second an audio signal is measured during analog-to-digital conversion. Nyquist frequency is half the sample rate — by the Nyquist-Shannon theorem, that's the highest signal frequency that can be perfectly reconstructed. Any frequency above Nyquist will "fold back" into the audible range as a different frequency — this artifact is called aliasing.

Why 44.1 kHz for CDs?

Human hearing tops out around 20 kHz. A 44.1 kHz sample rate provides a 22.05 kHz Nyquist, leaving a ~2 kHz "guard band" for the anti-aliasing filter to roll off before reaching the hearing limit. The specific 44.1 number comes from early Sony PCM adapter designs that recorded audio onto video-tape — three audio samples fit per video line at NTSC (60 Hz × 245 lines × 3 = 44,100).

48 kHz vs 44.1 kHz

48 kHz is the standard for video, broadcast, and most professional audio. 44.1 kHz is the standard for music CDs and consumer audio downloads. Sample rate conversion between them is lossy (irrational ratio 147:160), so professional workflows pick one and stick to it. Modern DAWs handle the conversion transparently.

Hi-res audio: 96 kHz / 192 kHz

Sample rates above 48 kHz are mostly used for production headroom (filters, time-stretching, pitch-shifting work better with more samples). Whether 96 kHz delivery audibly improves over 44.1 kHz remains controversial — most ABX listening tests don't find a difference for well-recorded material. The file sizes triple or quadruple, though.

File size impact

Uncompressed PCM file size grows linearly with sample rate, bit depth, and channels: bytes/sec = SR × bits/8 × channels. One minute of stereo 16-bit CD audio is ~10 MB. The same minute at 24-bit / 96 kHz stereo is ~34.5 MB — nearly 3.5× larger. Format compression (FLAC, ALAC, Opus) reduces these dramatically.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Nyquist frequency?

Half the sample rate. For a sample rate of SR, signals above SR/2 cannot be accurately represented — they alias to lower frequencies. CD audio (44.1 kHz) has a Nyquist of 22.05 kHz. The Nyquist-Shannon theorem proves that any signal below this limit can be perfectly reconstructed from the samples.

What causes aliasing?

When you try to sample a signal whose frequency exceeds the Nyquist limit, the digital system "folds" it back into the representable range. A 22 kHz signal sampled at 44.1 kHz produces a 50 Hz artifact (44.1 − 22 = 22.1; the fold around Nyquist 22.05 gives 22.05 − (22 − 22.05) = something close to your input minus 2× the overshoot). In practice, anti-aliasing filters (low-pass below Nyquist) prevent this by removing high frequencies before sampling.

Why does CD use 44.1 kHz instead of 48 kHz?

Historical: early digital audio was recorded onto video tape (which was the cheapest reliable high-bandwidth medium in the 1970s). 44.1 kHz was the highest sample rate that fit into NTSC or PAL video frames. The Compact Disc standard adopted this rate in 1982; the format predates dedicated digital audio recorders.

Should I record at 96 kHz or 44.1 kHz?

Most production benefits from 48 or 96 kHz for the extra headroom during processing — filters work cleaner with more samples, and pitch-shifting/time-stretching have more raw material. The final delivery is usually downsampled to 44.1 (music) or 48 (video). For simple acoustic recordings with no heavy processing, 44.1 kHz is enough.

How big is a 3-minute stereo 16-bit CD-quality file?

Data rate = 44,100 × 2 × 2 = 176,400 bytes/s. For 3 minutes (180 seconds): 31,752,000 bytes ≈ 31.75 MB. With FLAC compression, typically 60% of uncompressed = ~19 MB. With AAC at 256 kbps: ~5.8 MB. With MP3 at 128 kbps: ~2.9 MB.

What's DSD or DXD?

DSD (Direct Stream Digital) is a 1-bit format at very high sample rates (2.8224 MHz for DSD64, 5.6448 MHz for DSD128). DXD (Digital eXtreme Definition) is 24-bit PCM at 352.8 kHz, commonly used for editing/mastering DSD recordings. Both are archival/audiophile formats — file sizes are enormous (DXD ~85 MB/min stereo, DSD64 ~33 MB/min).

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