![]() ![]() The 96KHz sampling frequency used in the 7.1 channel audio embedded into DVDs and Blu-Rays sample the amplitude 96,000 times each second.īit depth translates to the number of steps the amplitude of the analog sound wave is divided into at each sampling. The 44.1KHz sampling frequency specified for Red Book CDs sample the amplitude of the music 44,100 times each second. Sampling rate is the frequency at which the amplitude of the analog sound wave is sampled. In the graphic below the white wave form represents the musical signal being quantized and the green step pattern overlaid represents the quantized values. The horizontal X axis represents time or sampling frequency and the vertical Y axis represents amplitude or bit depth. The process of converting analog sound waves into a digital format is known as “quantization,” which is often represented as points plotted on an XY axis. Historical note: The 16-bit format existed long before 16-bit digital-to-analog converters (DACs) were available. Both 16 bits and 24 bits became standards because each represented the next digital word. So 16 bits = 2 bytes and 24 bits = 3 bytes. This is why everything in the digital world is divisible by 8. There are 8 bits to a byte and a byte is known as a digital word. When digital data is transferred and manipulated it is moved in bytes rather than as individual bits. So why did 24-bit become the new standard? You also may want to refer to my other blog on WAV 8 BIT VS 16 BIT FREEIf you're not sure if you should believe the statements in this blog which contradict much of the marketing hype, myth, and legend in the audiophile industry, feel free to check the references at the end. This blog will explain the math and physics of digital recording and musical reproduction in layman's terms so that you can decide for yourself if this is progress or simply marketing madness. Interestingly enough, not everyone agrees that greater bit depth and higher sampling rates are good things. Now I hear talk about developing a new 32-bit 384KHz standard for HD music. This is independent of compression and the quality of the codec being used.More and more music has become available in “high-definition” (HD) digital formats, such as 24-bit 192KHz downloads, 24-bit 88.2KHz MQA streaming, and DSD. Still, if you are dealing with music files, you are much better off when using 16 bits or higher for your files. Using 8 bit music gives you that capability while keeping parts to a minimum, and thus the cost and complexity. 8 bit music is very useful for those who are building electronic devices that need simple sound capabilities. Although the difference in file size is significant, it is usually just a matter of MBs too small to be of major concern to most people.Īlthough 8 bit music is way inferior to 16 bit music and the drawbacks are close to negligible, there are still some reasons why some people use 8 bit music. This means that using 16 bit music would result in much larger files than if you used 8 bit music. Of course, if you use more bits for each sample, you would end up with a lot more bits for a single sound file. The errors are much smaller with 16 bit music than with 8 bit music because of the much smaller steps introduced by having a larger value range. This is important when you consider that an analog signal can have infinitely small variations and there are always rounding errors when converting it to a digital signal. 8 bits can represent a total of 256 values (28) while 16 bits can represent a total 65,536 values (216). The accuracy of the digital representation of an analog signal is dictated by the number of bits you use to represent it. The former is a lot better sounding compared to the latter, which sounds very synthetic. To give you a realistic comparison, music CDs implement 16 bit music while old NES consoles implemented 8 bit music. The main difference between 8 bit music and 16 bit music is how natural they sound. Two common bit allocations are 8 bits and 16 bits. When you save music to a digital format, you need to allocate how much digital space is to be taken up by each sample. ![]()
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