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When you record a sound, your interface captures tens of thousands of voltage measurements every single second and converts each one into raw binary code. How do those tiny ones and zeros turn into the massive audio file sizes we manage in a DAW?
Before we calculate how fast data streams through your studio cables, let's look at how computers count in binary and hexadecimal.
Binary and Hexadecimal Fundamentals
Binary (base-2) uses only 0 and 1 to represent values based on powers of 2. Hexadecimal (base-16) uses digits 0–9 and letters A–F as a compact shorthand, where each hex character represents exactly 4 binary bits.
📊Interactive diagram
To convert the binary byte 110101102 to decimal, add the place values where a 1 appears: 128+64+16+4+2=21410. To write it in hex, split it into two 4-bit nibbles: 11012=1310=D16, and 01102=616, giving D616.
Analog-to-Digital Conversion (ADC)
During Analog-to-Digital Conversion (ADC), continuous analog acoustic waves are converted into discrete digital data using two key parameters: sample rate and bit depth.
The sample rate (fs, measured in Hz or samples/second) sets the maximum recordable audio frequency according to the Nyquist theorem (fmax=2fs).
The bit depth (n, in bits per sample) determines the available quantization levels (2n) and the theoretical dynamic range (≈6.02×n dB).
With both sample rate and bit depth established, how many bits flow every second when we play back full digital audio?
Analog-to-Digital Conversion Parameters
During Analog-to-Digital Conversion (ADC), continuous analog audio voltages are converted into discrete binary numbers using two core settings: sample rate and bit depth.