Have you ever questioned the importance of understanding the options you have when recording music digitally?

It can often seem quite overwhelming when you're faced with a myriad of options and drop-downs to choose from and all you want to do it get recording! There are some important decision to be made however, which can have lasting affects on the quality of your recordings. In this post we will start at the beginning and go on a journey of audio exportation. By the end you'll know all about what kHz and bit depth is enough to make your mix shine!

Audio Basics 🤷

The audio we hear is made up of changes in air pressure, vibrations, waves. These waves in the in the air move the membrane in out rear drums and our brain interprets this as sound. They act like ripples in a pond. If the source of this sound is something line a guitar then the sound we hear are pure unadulterated waves traveling through the air to our ears. When we record this sound into a computer something changes. 0000000

Going Digital 💾

Audio recorded into a computer is converted form analog audio to digital audio. Computers operate on their most basic level by turning switched on and off. This process is scaled up millions of times per second. What starts out as a smooth wave in the real world becomes a series of steps up and down in a computer. How big or small these steps (the resolution) affects how the audio sounds. The smaller the steps, the closer the audio will sound to the original. However, with smaller steps comes the requirement for greater processing power and more storage for the larger more detailed file. 

Getting The Balance Right ⚖️

The final use of your audio will strongly dictate the resolution required when recording. For example if you're recording a voice over for a vlog you may not require the same resolution as a recording studio tracking a top bands next hit single, or maybe you do! The most important thing to understand here is that you can't go back and up the resolution later. What you record is what you have. 

The Next Level 🎚️

If you're ready to go a bit deeper and learn more about which bit rate and compression settings you need to be using click the link below to learn more. The free guide will cover everything you need to know. You'll be recording like a pro in no time at all.