44.1 kHz or 48 kHz?

[audiojunkie]

My point is simple. I've already wasted my life on the same crap you guys are going back and forth on, and the end result matters a lot less than most of you realize. It's the song that matters. Work on your writing skills. You could create a masterpiece with 12bit 22050khz mono, and if the song is good, no one would care. You guys are chasing the wrong dog's tail.

I agree with the sentiment, and often upset the local lemmings with similar arguments. However, in this particular instance, writing good music and also recording it at the optimal samplerate are not mutually exclusive. You have to record at some samplerate, so it might as well be the best one.

Has it been determined that there is a more optimal setting than 24bt/48khz ? More is always better, except when considering the CPU load. At what point does the law of diminishing returns come into play? I don't disagree with you either, but it seems that going beyond 24bit/48Khz really is unnecessary.

Edit: I can see more value in hardware moving to 32bit over 24bit than I can see the value in going beyond 48khz.

Edit2: What resolution do mastering houses require and export? That's the last in the chain, there shouldn't be any reason for anything higher. What will most people use to listen to this music? Are the headphone speakers even able to provide the fidelity to reproduce the audio? This is all comes into play with the law of diminishing returns. At some point, there is no real reason to go further.

[BertKoor]

I heard decades ago around 60kHz was seen most optimal.

[mixyguy2]

I heard decades ago that this silly topic would never end. I didn't believe them. My bad. lol

[VELLTONE MUSIC]

[Zero85]

I use 44.1 kHz. Yes u have a cleaner Sound when you using 48 or 96 etc.

[izonin]

I've been using 44.1 for the longest time, but recently switched to 48KHz after trying the Osirus emulator. The Access Virus C runs internally at 46,875Hz which is closer to 48,000.

[rACatkvr]

also, the computer you are working on, is more powerful than the one nasa sent men to the moon (allegedly) with!!!
so we should be writing songs on uranus by now!!!

Well.... It is not exactly that. There was a study a few years ago.
In a normal USB-C powerbank, there is a controller, that makes sure to distribute the electricity equally, shows the percentage, etc...
This controller, is more powerful than the one who sent people to the moon (apparently 500 times more powerful).

So to say rhat our computers are more powerfull than the one is apollo is kind of a very very huge understand.

And by the way, the lady who wrote the code of apollo (yes, a lady at this time) is the one who invented the concept of software engineering...

128 Kbit I think it was.

[Pyramidz]

The thing is plugins work better on higher sample rates! But nowadays it's not necessary because every plugin has an oversampling feature!

[whyterabbyt]

The thing is plugins work better on higher sample rates!

except where they dont, of course.

[Fornicras]

I'm stuck with 44.1khz. When I set my interface to 48khz, all of OS audio goes crazy, dropouts, crackling, cuts, etc. I don't know why it happens, and it sometime freezes my DAW as well. Any idea why this would happen? It's Windows 10, latest update.

[jamcat]

When I set my interface to 48khz, all of OS audio goes crazy, dropouts, crackling, cuts, etc.

Is this your system audio or DAW or both?

What interface are you using? Are you using ASIO or Windows Audio? Do you have the latest ASIO drivers installed for your device?

[Synthman2000]

Mastering houses require whatever your DAW project is operating at.

The really important issue is quality, sonic quality of the audio, the synths the samples, the recordings, the qualities.

Sample rate has pretty much nothing to do with the sonic qualities.

I hear music every day with truly superb fidelity and great quality at 44.1kHz.

Qualities are and not limited to.. great recording, great mixing, definition, depth, space, clarity, width, precision, punch, useful transients, good taste, deep vibrant not overdone sub in right balance, warmth, instrumental and tonal balance, clear top end, smoothness, lack of harshness, lack of mud, great tonality, great mid range definition and presence. In short, good taste and good human judgement.

All achievable at 44.1kHz without shadow of doubt. If you are not getting it at 44.1kHz you are not getting it at all. It is about the very first sound you start with to record, produce or mix.

If you are worrying about sample rate from the perspective of fidelity you need to up your game in many other areas of audio engineering.

The fundamental ability to judge quality by ear and ear alone. With sample rate fetishism you are chasing a dream that does not exist.

[Fornicras]

When I set my interface to 48khz, all of OS audio goes crazy, dropouts, crackling, cuts, etc.

Is this your system audio or DAW or both?

What interface are you using? Are you using ASIO or Windows Audio? Do you have the latest ASIO drivers installed for your device?

I have PreSonus 1824c. Updated to the latest. I'm using the interface's own ASIO driver and I also set my Windows to have the same sample rate as it is. I can't figure out why it happens.

[roman.i]

This may sound ridiculous, but 48khz sounds cleaner than 44.1khz at least with my setup.
44.1khz sound slightly more squashed and reverbs are not fluid.
Can't tell a difference between 48khz and 96khz.

[vurt]

i imagine a quick blind test would let you know you can't hear a difference between 44.1 and 48k.
unless you're not actually human, then who knows?