🎚️ Bit Depth Converter
Compare audio bit depths, dynamic range, and file sizes
Bit Depth
16-bit
CD quality standard
Dynamic Range
96 dB
SNR (theoretical)
96 dB
Amplitude Levels
65,536
vs 24-bit Headroom
+48 dB
File Size (180s)
30.28 MB
Bit Rate
1.41 Mbps
Bytes/Second
176,400
vs CD Quality
100%
Dynamic Range Comparison
8-bit
48 dB
12-bit
72 dB
16-bit
96 dB
20-bit
120 dB
24-bit
144 dB
32-bit
192 dB
📊 Bit Depth Reference
| Bit Depth | Dynamic Range | Levels | Use Case | Era |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8-bit | 48 dB | 256 | Early games, telephone | 1980s |
| 12-bit | 72 dB | 4,096 | Early samplers | 1980s |
| 16-bit | 96 dB | 65,536 | CD quality standard | 1982+ |
| 20-bit | 120 dB | 1,048,576 | DVD-Audio | 1999+ |
| 24-bit | 144 dB | 16,777,216 | Professional studio | 2000+ |
| 32-bit | 192 dB | 4,294,967,296 | Floating point mixing | 2000+ |
📖 Understanding Bit Depth
What is bit depth?
Bit depth determines how many amplitude levels can be recorded. More bits = more precision, less quantization noise.
16-bit vs 24-bit
24-bit provides 48 dB more dynamic range than 16-bit. This headroom is valuable during recording and mixing, but final releases are often 16-bit.
32-bit float
32-bit floating point is used in DAWs for processing. It prevents clipping during mixing and provides virtually unlimited headroom.