What the f’s a sample rate?

You’ve most probably seen the term “sample rate” thrown around with numbers like 44.1, 48 and symbols like kHz. If you’re new to recording then these might look like hieroglyphics and even if you’re used to them, do you really know what they mean?

The Sample

The term sample rate, sometimes shown as Fs (now you get the title!) just means how fast samples are taken. To understand this we need to first understand what a sample is. A sample is a measurement at a specific time in audio which measures the amplitude of an audio wave. These readings are in a binary format (1s & 0s) and there are thousands of readings - actually tens of thousands taken each second. Just how many are taken is determined by our rate.

Sample Rate   

Firstly, we need to know that sample rate is measured in kilohertz (kHz) the unit of frequency measuring 1,000 cycles per second. The two most common sample rates are 44.1kHz and 48kHz. All DAWs and audio interfaces on the market today are capable of handling both these sample rates and higher. Combining this with what we learned about samples we now know that a sample rate of 44.1kHz means a measurement of 44,100 samples per second. Compare that to 48kHz measuring 48,000 samples per second and we can see the only difference is that more information is captured at 48kHz than 44.1kHz. If you’re familiar with video you can see that sample rate is similar to fps (frames per second). 

Not all are equal, or are they? 

We have looked at the two most common sample rate which are 44.1kHz and 48kHz. However, many audio interfaces can capture 88.2kHz, 96kHz and 192kHz and most DAWs can also handle these sample rates. You might be wondering why there are so many, and if higher equals better. The answer of course isn’t straight forward but let’s have a look.

The standard for a long time has been 44.1kHz. Everything in consumer audio such as CDs were (and are for those of you still buying them!) distributed using this sample rate. The human ear can hear frequencies from 20Hz to 20kHz and this frequency range is capture in 44.1kHz so many argue that higher sample rates are not necessary. 

As we learned before, 48kHz captures more information per second and so should produce a more accurate digital representation of an audio wave. This became the standard for professional audio, some say because of the more condensed info but some say just to differentiate pro from consumer. 48kHz was mainly used in audio for video such as movies. If you remember earlier I mentioned fps, there’s a direct correlation between 48kHz and 24fps. Let’s just not talk about 23.976… 

Many people argue that you can’t hear the difference between 41kHz and 48kHz. It’s something you should experiment with to see (or hear!) for yourself. Audio engineers and musicians with well trained ears might be able to hear the difference, but for the majority of us it probably makes no noticeable difference. 

What should you use?

For most home studios and home recording musicians it makes the most sense to choose either 44.1kHz or 48kHz. The choice is yours. If you’re someone who likes to know you’re capturing more information then go with 48kHz. If not, go with the standard 44.1kHz. It’s important to know which sample rate you’re working at so that your interface and DAW are both locked to that number.

Now you should understand what all those numbers and symbols mean and have a solid understanding to take you further and even collaborate with remote musicians like myself. If you choose to get drums from Online Drum Studio then you just tell me your sample rate and I set up my end to be exactly the same. This way the drum files literally just drag and drop into your DAW.

Whichever sample rate you decide to use don’t forget the most important thing, keep creating.