Most recording gears or software defaults to 48 KHz as the sampling rate during digital recording. For example; Ardour an open source DAW defaults to 48 KHz. Other than this; there are other DAW and recording hardware that defaults to 48 KHz.
On the opposition, lots of folks practically the recording industry professionals (engineers, mixers and mastering engineers) prefer to use 44.1 KHz as the sample rate during digital audio recording and not 48 KHz. And there is a lot of recording software and DAW that defaults to 44.1 KHz as the sampling rate that includes Reaper.
So the main question is: Which is better 44.1 KHz or 48 KHz when recording audio in digital?
48 KHz is too much when recording audio?
The Nyquist theory states that to accurately reproduce analog audio in digital it should be sampled at least twice the maximum audible frequency. This is where confusion starts to sets in and debates in recording forums are too common. In schools, you learned that human ear can only perceived 20Hz to 22,000 Hz. Human adults have lower treble hearing response and lies around 15,000 to 16,000 Hz. Doubtful with this, I do a hearing test from 20Hz to 20,000 Hz and was surprised I could not anymore hear frequencies above 16,000 Hz.
If the maximum audio frequency is 22,000 Hz by theory, the sampling rate required is:
Sampling rate = 2 x Maximum Audio Frequency = 2 x 22,000 Hz ~ 44.1 KHz
This is where 44.1 KHz came and why it is commonly used as the sampling rate for digital audio applications such as in recording and in digital audio playback.
If the sampling rate is 48KHz, reverse calculation reveals that the maximum audio frequency that can be sampled is:
Maximum Audio Frequency = Sampling Rate/2 = 48KHz/2 = 24 KHz
If Human Adults or even any humans cannot hear above 22,000Hz why other engineers or recording gears still stick to 24 KHz as the audio sample rate?
At first, you would realize that 48 KHz sampling rate is too much for recording digital audio because you are recording frequencies that could not be heard anyway. But for perfect reproduction, it takes more than to simply hear these frequencies.
“Feel” the rumble in the lows and “feel” the airy sound in the highs
One reason that recording at 48KHz would make sense is the analogy of rumble in the low frequencies. Humans cannot actually hear or listen frequencies below 20Hz but we can feel it. The same thing that when an earthquake occurs; the low frequency waves (which are around 10Hz) cannot be heard but can only be felt. You can only feel that it’s there but you cannot listen to it.
Same thing with very high frequencies which can be found around 20 KHz above; yes it is a fact you cannot listen to these frequencies anymore but you can feel their presence.
But here is the catch, supposing you recorded audio at 48 KHz so it has audio frequency content up to 24 KHz theoretically. So if you play a high resolution audio in a high accurate loudspeakers (with capability to reproduce above 20 KHz to provide that extra crisp and airness) then you get what you want – a high-fidelity and true to life recordings.
But the reality is not this; CD and MP3 players have sample rates of only 44.1 KHz so they can only reproduce up to 22 KHz theoretically. The extra crisp and brilliance captured with 48 KHz recordings are filtered and not reproduced because of the consumer CD/MP3 player sample rate limitations.
Then why you should still record at 48 KHz?
It’s the original recorded content that matters. If you record at 48 KHz, the original audio captures a wide range of audio content up to 24 KHz. Even though this is NOT yet in CD format or MP3 format, the original recorded content captures the source very accurately up to 24 KHz which has some important applications not only in CD audio and MP3.
Audio used in Video and DVD projects are reproduced at a higher sampling rate than CD audio making it possible to playback higher than 20,000Hz really well. Although this is often a subject of debate, but I notice a “BIG” difference between music produced for DVD and those that are produced for CD or MP3. If I watch a DVD movie with a great sound system or even watch movie in a digital theatre, the sound reproduced mimics’ reality. It contains those entire rumble and lows as well as the airy highs that you cannot listen but rather felt.
movie theatre
If you want your song or music to sound even better when included in a movie/DVD projects then it is one of the big reasons why you should be recording at a higher sampling rate. For example, if you record at 44.1 KHz then up sampled to 48 KHz for use in DVD, etc. then the audio quality is still same because the original recording is done at 44.1 KHz. Remember that you cannot further add “more realism” to your recordings if you didn’t capture it well in the first place.
So who wins: recording at 44.1 KHz or recording at 48 KHz? Recording at 48 KHz allows your music to be used in a variety of applications that includes film/movies, DVD projects, CD audio and MP3 without worrying about loss in quality or no improvement in sound quality.
Content last updated on July 30, 2012