What is Sample Rate?
Also called: sampling rate, sampling frequency
Sample rate is the number of times per second that digital audio measures the sound wave, given in hertz (Hz) or kilohertz (kHz). Common sample rates are 44.1 kHz for music and 48 kHz for video.
The sample rate sets the highest frequency a recording can contain: half the sample rate, known as the Nyquist frequency. At 44.1 kHz that limit is 22.05 kHz, just above the upper limit of human hearing, which is why 44.1 kHz was chosen for CD.
Higher rates such as 88.2 or 96 kHz are used in some studios because certain processing, like heavy pitch shifting or some distortion plugins, can benefit from the extra room. The files are larger and use more processing power.
Converting between sample rates is called resampling. For video work the standard is 48 kHz, and delivering music at the sample rate a platform asks for avoids an extra conversion on their side.
Example
One second of stereo audio at 44.1 kHz contains 88,200 samples: 44,100 for each channel.
Put it to work
Work out file sizes and bitrates for any sample rate, bit depth and length.
Audio File Size and Bitrate Calculator