Sample frequency

Overview

In order to digitize analog audio, most contemporary systems use a system referred to as "sampling" to repeatedly measure the voltage of the analog audio waveform at a regular time intervals. Each voltage measurement results in a binary number of a given wordlength. The series of binary “words” are typically stored consecutively in a file for later reconstruction of the analog voltage waveform by a digital to analog converter. The sample frequency is the rate at which the samples are made and is measured in Hertz (cycles per second). The term sample rate is used interchangeably.