Audio File Size Calculator — How Big Is Your Recording?
Calculate audio file size from sample rate, bit depth, channels, and duration. Compare WAV vs MP3 vs FLAC sizes and plan storage for recording sessions.
Recording a full album in 24-bit/96kHz WAV requires dramatically more storage than you might expect. A podcast recorded at CD quality is surprisingly manageable. Knowing file sizes helps you plan sessions, budget storage, and choose formats that make sense for your use case.
Estimate any audio recording size with the audio file size calculator on CalcHub.
The Uncompressed Audio Formula
File size (MB) = (Sample Rate × Bit Depth × Channels × Duration in seconds) ÷ 8 ÷ 1,000,000
A 3-minute stereo WAV at 44.1kHz/16-bit: 44100 × 16 × 2 × 180 ÷ 8 ÷ 1,000,000 = 31.9 MB
How to Use the Calculator
- Enter sample rate (44.1kHz, 48kHz, 96kHz, 192kHz)
- Enter bit depth (16-bit, 24-bit, 32-bit float)
- Enter channel count (1 = mono, 2 = stereo, 24 = typical multitrack session)
- Enter duration
- Get file size for WAV/AIFF (uncompressed) and estimated size for MP3/FLAC (compressed)
File Size Comparison by Format
| Format | 3 min stereo | 1 hour stereo | Compression |
|---|---|---|---|
| WAV 44.1kHz/16-bit | ~32 MB | ~635 MB | None (lossless) |
| WAV 48kHz/24-bit | ~52 MB | ~1.04 GB | None (lossless) |
| WAV 96kHz/24-bit | ~103 MB | ~2.1 GB | None (lossless) |
| FLAC 44.1kHz/16-bit | ~20–22 MB | ~400–450 MB | ~50% lossless |
| MP3 320kbps | ~7 MB | ~144 MB | ~80% lossy |
| MP3 128kbps | ~2.8 MB | ~58 MB | ~91% lossy |
| AAC 256kbps | ~5.7 MB | ~115 MB | ~82% lossy |
Multitrack Recording Sessions
A typical home studio session recording 8 tracks simultaneously at 48kHz/24-bit:
8 tracks × 52 MB/track per 3 minutes = 416 MB for a 3-minute song. A full hour of recording across 8 tracks reaches about 8.3 GB. For professional sessions with 24+ tracks at 96kHz, storage requirements jump dramatically — a 3-hour tracking session can easily exceed 50 GB.
Choosing the Right Format
WAV or AIFF: Use for masters, delivery to clients, and editing in a DAW. No quality loss, maximum compatibility. FLAC: Use for archiving and music libraries. Same quality as WAV, ~50% smaller. Not as widely supported in DAWs. MP3/AAC: Use for streaming, podcasts, demos, and anything where file size matters and pristine quality isn't critical. 320kbps MP3 is transparent to most listeners on typical playback systems. Opus: Increasingly used for streaming (Spotify, Discord). Excellent quality at low bitrates — comparable to MP3 320kbps at 128kbps. Less familiar to non-technical users.Does higher sample rate actually improve sound quality?
For recording, 48kHz or 96kHz gives more headroom for processing and slightly better transient accuracy. For playback, the human ear can't hear frequencies above ~20kHz, so 44.1kHz (which captures up to 22kHz) covers everything. The benefit of 96kHz in final audio is genuinely minimal for most listeners. Where it matters: heavy audio processing and pitch-shifting, where headroom beyond 20kHz reduces artifacts.
What bit depth should I record at?
24-bit is the standard for professional recording. It provides 144dB of dynamic range — far more than any microphone or room can capture. 16-bit (CD quality) has 96dB of dynamic range, which is sufficient for final delivery but leaves less headroom during recording and editing. Record at 24-bit, deliver at 16-bit.
What's the best format for podcast delivery?
MP3 at 128kbps mono is the standard for speech podcasts — completely adequate for voice content and results in files around 1 MB/minute. For music-heavy podcasts, 192kbps stereo or 256kbps AAC is common. Podcast hosting services have file size limits, so knowing your format's size per minute helps you plan episode length.
Related Calculators
- Sample Rate Calculator — bit depth and sample rate deep dive
- Video File Size Calculator — estimate video with embedded audio
- BPM Calculator — tempo for your recorded tracks