Stupid Newbie kHz question

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BilltheCat

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Ok. I bit. I read the manual, and it says "Pristine 24-bit, 192kHz converters* that deliver an amazing 111dB (A/D) and 116dB (D/A) SNR and Dynamic Range" (did I tip my hand?). HOWEVER, when I read one of the fantastic tutorials from this forum, I discovered that all commerical CD's are recorded at 44.1 kHz. Sooo.....

Why would I even bother recording at the 48 kHz level if I'm going to have to strip it down to 44.1, much less even bother with the 192 kHz, which then leaves me w/o the onboard effects? (again did I tip my hand?)

Secondly(this is predicated on there being a reason for doing so, which I'm sure there is), if my outboard gear is likewise putting out 44.1 (or even 48 for that matter), NOW why would I want to record higher than the weakest link?

I'm sure I'm simply showing my ignorance here, which is fine--I am. That's why I joined this forum. To get educated, right? :D

Looking forward to learning...
 
All commercial CD's are NOT recorded at 44.1khz. They are released at 44.1 khz. There are reasons why you would want to do all your tracking at higher sample rates, but the person who is on a budget there are probably even more reasons why you would want to record at 44.1khz. It all depends on what your setup is, how much harddrive space you can afford to allocate, and how well your system will do what you need it to do at the higher sample rates. There are a bunch of other threads around here concerning those very same things that you should read before this thread goes any farther:)
 
A lot has been written about this to be sure. Suffice to say, there are valid reasons for using a higher bit depth (24 over 16), but fewer justifications for higher sampling rates (there will be many who will disagree, no doubt).

A lot depends on what your ultimate plans are for your recordings. If you are recording with the intention of commercially releasing the material definitely use 24 bits, if file size isn't an issue, go 88.2k or 96k. I think 192k, at this point anyway, is largely a matter of advertising hype and of little practical value.

You are right that, no matter what bit depth or sample rate you record at, eventually the final product will likely be a 16 bit, 44.1k CD, but you can wind up with a better finished product if you save the dithering process until the end, especially if you plan on sending it to a professional mastering house.

Ted
 
Thanks both of you. I wasn't really sure where to even begin the research. Sorry to start the thread. I did a search on 44.1 and found a goodly amount of info on it. So many topics, so little time... :D

Thanks again,
 
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