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info Overview

Size WAV files and recording buffers from sample rate, bit depth, channels and duration, with buffer bytes, samples per channel, bitrate and byte rate.

📘 How to Use

  1. Pick a sample rate from the presets
  2. Choose the bit depth and channel layout
  3. Drag the duration slider to read the buffer size

PCM Audio Buffer Size Calculator

Typical for WAV: PCM_S16LE (16) or PCM_F32LE (32 float).

1.00 s

0.01 - 600 seconds (10 minutes). Suitable for sizing a full clip or stream.

Buffer size
— B
—
Samples per channel
— samples
Bitrate
— kbps
Byte rate
— B/s

Extrapolation: continuous recording

Per minute
—
Per hour
—
Per 24 hours
—

※ Buffer size = sample rate × bit depth / 8 × channels × duration (seconds).

※ This tool covers uncompressed PCM only. It does not apply to lossy codecs such as MP3, AAC or Opus.

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PCM Audio Buffer Size Calculator | Size WAV Files and Bitrate

Linear PCM buffer size, samples per channel, bitrate and byte rate from sample rate, bit depth, channel count and duration. Built for sizing WAV files and recording buffers.

💡 About this tool

Anyone working with WAV or raw PCM eventually has to answer the same questions: how many GB does an hour of 44.1 kHz / 16-bit / stereo take, and how large should the ring buffer be? Unlike compressed codecs, PCM has a fixed bitrate, so once you know the formula the answer is exact.

This tool solves buffer size = sample rate × bit depth / 8 × channels × duration for you. Combine any of the 10 presets from 8000 to 192000 Hz, 8/16/24/32-bit depth, and mono / stereo / 5.1 / 7.1 layouts, then set the length with a 0.01–600 second slider. You get four outputs: buffer bytes (with KiB/MiB/GiB), samples per channel, bitrate in kbps, and byte rate in B/s. It also extrapolates the size for one minute, one hour and 24 hours of continuous recording, which is handy when you plan storage for long captures.

🧐 Frequently Asked Questions

What is the bitrate of CD-quality audio (44.1 kHz, 16-bit, stereo)? 1411.2 kbps. That is 44100 × 16 bit × 2 channels, divided by 1000. The byte rate is 176,400 B/s.

What is the difference between bytes and samples per channel? Samples per channel is the count of samples one channel carries per second (44100 at 44.1 kHz). Buffer bytes is that figure multiplied by bit depth (÷8) and by the channel count.

Does it report KiB or KB? The human-readable size uses binary units (KiB/MiB/GiB, base 1024). Storage vendors usually advertise base-1000 KB/MB, so expect a few percent difference between the two.

Can I size MP3 or AAC files with this? No. MP3, AAC and Opus are lossy and use a variable bitrate, so the fixed PCM formula does not apply. This tool covers uncompressed PCM only.

Does 32-bit float use the same math? Yes for byte counting. A 32-bit float sample is still 4 bytes, so selecting 32 as the bit depth gives the correct size for float WAV.

📚 Why 44.1 kHz and 48 kHz exist

The oddly specific 44.1 kHz CD rate is a leftover from early digital recording, when audio was stored on video tape recorders; the number was derived from the line and frame rates of NTSC and PAL video. Professional DAWs settled on 48 kHz instead because it locks cleanly to video frame rates, which is why broadcast and streaming pipelines treat it as the default.

The Nyquist–Shannon sampling theorem says you need a sample rate above twice the highest frequency you want to reproduce. With human hearing topping out near 20 kHz, just over 40 kHz suffices, and 44.1/48 kHz add a margin above that. Hi-res rates such as 96 and 192 kHz push the ceiling well beyond audibility, but the PCM buffer grows in direct proportion to the sample rate, so doubling the rate doubles the bytes.