Audio File Size Calculator
Work out how big an uncompressed audio recording will be before you record it. It is useful for planning storage on a recorder or a computer.
- Free
- Works offline after your first visit
- Saves on this device
- No sign-up
- Updated
How it works
Each second of sound stores one sample per channel for every tick of the sample rate. Each sample uses as many bits as the bit depth. Multiply those together and by the seconds, then divide by eight to get bytes.
This describes uncompressed files such as WAV or AIFF. Compressed formats like MP3 or AAC are much smaller and depend on their bitrate.
Worked example
A 4 minute recording at 44.1 kHz, 16 bit, with 2 channels, is about 42.3 MB uncompressed.
Questions
What sample rate should I use?
44.1 kHz is the usual rate for music on CDs. Higher rates are used in film and some recording work.
What is bit depth?
It is how finely each sample is measured. 16 bit is common for music, and 24 bit gives more room when recording.
Why is my MP3 smaller?
MP3 files throw away detail to save space. This calculator covers uncompressed audio only.
More like this
- File Size ConverterKB, MB, KiB, MiB and GiB from one number.
- Video File Size CalculatorFile size from length and bitrate.
- Data Size Unit ConverterGB, GiB, MB and TB side by side.
- Projector Screen Size CalculatorImage size from throw distance and throw ratio.
- TV Size CalculatorScreen size for how far you sit from the TV.
- Buck Converter CalculatorInductor and capacitor sizes for a step-down converter.