I thought after all this time I was correctly explaining bit depth and sample rates to my non-audiophile friends, but now I"m not so sure. I thought that bit depth or bit size determines how much information can be captured in a single sample taken from an analog signal. So if, for example, you are recording a symphony orchestra, there are lots of instruments creating a lot of complex tonal information and sound levels. This creates a complex analog waveform, and when you take a sample of this waveform, you are going to digitize it and store it in a file. This single sample of the waveform would obviously contain a lot of information about what was happening in this symphony orchestra in that instant of time. The larger the bit depth, the more information you can capture, and you have a better quality file to produce a better quality recording.
But now I'm hearing that bit depth is all about dynamic range. That seems too simplistic to me.
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audiojerry
I thought after all this time I was correctly explaining bit depth and sample rates to my non-audiophile friends, but now I"m not so sure. I thought that bit depth or bit size determines how much information can be captured in a single sample taken from an analog signal. So if, for example, you are recording a symphony orchestra, there are lots of instruments creating a lot of complex tonal information and sound levels. This creates a complex analog waveform, and when you take a sample of this waveform, you are going to digitize it and store it in a file. This single sample of the waveform would obviously contain a lot of information about what was happening in this symphony orchestra in that instant of time. The larger the bit depth, the more information you can capture, and you have a better quality file to produce a better quality recording.
But now I'm hearing that bit depth is all about dynamic range. That seems too simplistic to me.
Any experts out there who can set me straight?
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