What’s bit depth? And how does it impact music?
Sir, I’m going to have to insist that you wear a shirt
What impact does bit depth have on music?
Well, if a bit depth is too low, the quality will suffer. Specifically, you’ll find a fair chunk of the quiet sounds will be lost. On records or files with a high bit depth, you’ll have a far more accurate playback — up to a point. But we’ll get to that shortly.
Something bit depth controls is the dynamic range of a sound. This is the difference between how quiet and loud respective parts of the audio is. And, the higher the bit depth (8-bit, 16-bit, 24-bit, and 32-bit being the most common), the more dynamic range is available.
But… this is where we come to the fork in the road.
Apologies, audio nerds, but it’s incredibly unlikely anyone will hear the different between a 16-bit bit depth and anything higher. There is an argument to be made forrecordingaudio with a bit depth above 16-bit (this is mainly just to give the engineer as much flexibility as possible), but for listeners? Those 24-bit FLAC files are rarely worth the space.
Anyway, we’re coming to the end of this piece, so let’s refresh. Fundamentally, bit depth describes how much data is taken per sample in an audio file. Have a look at this to help out:
And the other thing to remember? Bit depth controls the dynamic range of tracks, which can be understood to be the difference between the quietest and loudest sounds in a piece of audio. Phew, haven’t we learnt some stuff?
This piece is part of a series revolving around CDs and you can findthat Big Beefy Boy post right here. Go on,click, you’re gonna love it.
Story byCallum Booth
Callum Booth is a freelance journalist with over a decade of experience. Previously, he was the Managing Editor of TNW, where his reporting(show all)Callum Booth is a freelance journalist with over a decade of experience. Previously, he was the Managing Editor of TNW, where his reporting was cited widely, including in VICE, the FT, and the BBC.
Callum’s writing has appeared in The Verge, The Daily Telegraph, Time Out, and many more. He covers the full spectrum of technology, with a particular focus on how it shapes our daily lives. And a lot of regulation stuff too.
Outside of work, Callum’s an avid bookworm, a Fisherman’s Friends addict, and resolutely unshaven. Follow him on Twitter @CallumBooth or visit www.callumbooth.net.
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