๐ต Audio File Size Calculator
Calculates the file size of uncompressed PCM audio (WAV, etc.).
Enter a sample rate, bit depth, channel count (mono/stereo), and duration to calculate the file size of an uncompressed PCM audio file (WAV, etc.). Preset buttons for common quality levels like CD audio are also available.
How to use
- Enter the sample rate (Hz), bit depth (bit), and channel count, or pick a preset button.
- Enter the duration (minutes).
- The uncompressed file size is calculated automatically.
How the calculation works
This tool calculates the file size of uncompressed audio (PCM), such as WAV or AIFF. File size (bytes) = sample rate ร bit depth ร channels ร seconds รท 8 The sample rate is how many times per second the sound is measured, the bit depth how finely each measurement is stored, and the channels whether it is mono (1) or stereo (2). Sizes are shown with 1 KB = 1024 bytes and 1 MB = 1024 KB, the same way computers show file sizes. Use it to estimate storage before recording. The few dozen bytes of file header are not included.
Worked example
CD quality (44.1 kHz, 16-bit, stereo) for 3 min 30 s 44100 ร 16 ร 2 ร 210 รท 8 = 37,044,000 bytes โ 35.33 MB One minute at CD quality โ 10.09 MB One minute at 48 kHz, 24-bit stereo โ 16.48 MB A one-hour meeting recorded at 16 kHz, 16-bit mono โ 109.86 MB
Things to be aware of
- Compressed formats such as MP3 and AAC are sized by bit rate (such as 128 kbps) and are far smaller for the same length.
- A WAV file is limited to 4 GB. Long, high-quality recordings use formats such as RF64 or BWF.
- Going from 16-bit to 24-bit makes files 1.5 times larger.
FAQ
What's the formula?
File size (bytes) = sample rate (Hz) ร bit depth (bit) ร channels ร duration (seconds) รท 8. For example, one minute of CD-quality audio (44.1kHz/16bit/stereo) comes out to about 10.09 MB.
Does this handle compressed formats like MP3?
No. This tool calculates the size of uncompressed PCM formats like WAV or AIFF. Compressed formats like MP3 vary in size depending on the compression algorithm and bitrate settings, which this tool doesn't model.
What do the presets represent?
Three common configurations: CD quality (44.1kHz/16bit/stereo), hi-res equivalent (96kHz/24bit/stereo), and voice-call quality (16kHz/16bit/mono).