High‐Resolution Digital Audio

Here you will find links to various articles pertaining to the (hopefully obvious) merits of using more than 16 bits/​44.1 kHz for digital audio. This page is somewhat superfluous, since anyone without a major hearing loss should be able to hear the difference. CD audio exhibits, among other things, exaggerated upper mids, harsh highs and a general lack of depth and fullness compared to higher resolution audio. Unfortunately, there are people out there who lack the proper references and audio equipment, and who tend to think that even compressed digital audio formats like MP3, Vorbis and AAC sound “good”. They don’t know what they’re missing . . .

  • An article that explains in a very comprehensible way why you should use 24 (or more) bits per sample for digital audio. From personal experience, when recording guitar, the difference between using 16 and 24 bits is striking, particularly in the lower frequencies (once again).
  • An interview with Morten Lindberg, the founder of the Norwegian 2L recording label, that ought to knock some sense into the most stubborn and misinformed opponent of anything above 16 bits/​44.1 kHz (provided you’re not deaf of course, then it won’t matter much). If you have the equipment and ears for it, let the audio samples speak for themselves.

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