The audio’s sample rate, which is 96 kHz, corresponds to 96,000 samples per second. However, the volume is unrelated to the 24bit depth. In actuality, it alludes to sample size. The resolution of digital audio is determined by the bit depth and sample rate together. The frequency content of a recording is governed by the sample rate, whereas the dynamic range is dictated by the bit depth.
The sampling rate is the frequency at which samples are taken. Imagine an analog audio track. A “sample” is a measurement or a snapshot taken at one specific point in that audio file in the binary language of 1s and 0s. Repeat that measurement tens of thousands of times per second; the sample rate or sampling frequency is the number of times that snapshot is taken. It is measured in “samples per second” and represented in kiloHertz (kHz), which is a unit that indicates 1,000 times per second. For instance, a 44.1kHz sample rate is used to sample the analog signal on an audio CD 44,100 times per second.
How Does Bit Depth Affect Sound Quality?
The more data that is gathered to more exactly recreate the sound, the higher the bit depth. Information will be lost and the recreated sample will be damaged if the bit depth is too low. To put things in perspective, there are 65,536 different possible values in each sample that is recorded at 16-bit resolution.
How Is Sound Quality Impacted By Sample Rate?
The sampling rate is the number of sound samples, or measurements, that are made per second. When more samples are taken and more details about the spots where the waves rise and fall are recorded, the audio quality improves. The shape of the sound wave is also more accurately represented.
Can humans hear the difference between audio bit depths?
The ability of human ears to discriminate between amplitude levels between 65,536 and 4,294,967,296 may be something you’ve wondered about. This is a valid question. The noise level of a 16-bit machine is surprisingly low. Unless you need a higher dynamic range than 96 dB, 16-bit is a viable option for a project’s final bounce.
However, when working on a project, using a greater audio bit depth is not a bad idea. The noise floor decreases, or headroom, which is another name for the amount of headroom before distortion occurs. Greater flexibility is provided by the longer buffer before distortion, which also acts as a helpful safeguard while working.