Hi everybody; I have a project in logic pro 9 running at 44.1khz samplerate. When I upsample it to 96khz I can hear a big difference (because I run alot of midi and plugins) I just wonder if the audio-files can get distorted by upsampling to 96khz. And is downsampling different? Does it matter if its 88khz or 96khz? I know its different math, but I would think that it would be one of the easier things my macbook pro does. Thanks for any input, guys!

Hi Mads, The audio files should not get distorted or have anything untoward happen. Make sure you convert the files to the correct sample rate. However, if the audio file is recorded at 44.1 you won't notice any difference in the quality after resampling it to a higher rate. I like to think about the final delivery medium... e.g. whether the music/tracks I'm working on will be destined for CD, mp3, Film, 5.1 surround sound insallation, etc. I it's for CD or mp3 then I personally don't see the point in using a sample rate higher than 44.1. If it's for film I'll stick to 48. Using higher values, while sounding better will make my Mac struggle more... Other people recommend that if your final medium will be cd (44.1) then you should keep your project at 88.2. And for mediums of 48 have the project at 96. It's in the Maths apparently. btw, did you receive the video mixer environment I sent you? Was it useful? Any constructive criticism would be gratefully received :) Rounik

Hi Rounik! I havent had time to check out the video mixer, but I will next week. I had some computer troubles, so Im in the process of formatting everything. But the feedback will come ;) Downsampling from 96khz vs 88.2khz. Is there any difference? I would believe that computers anno 2009 would be able to solve a math question rather easily. The reason is that my zoom h2 recorder can only record in 96khz (not 88.2) In my tracks I use around 40 tracks minimum, with maybe 3-5 plugins on each track. I can hear differences in soft synths and delay designers etc if I upsample to 96khz. But I can also hear that timestreched/pitchshifted files become really fucked up. What are your thoughts on upsampling to 96khz prior to mastering? (Im doing the mastering in the box) And; is there any difference between Itunes SRC and Logic's SRC? Ive read some posts that seem to say that Itunes SRC is somehow better, but I find that a little hard to believe. Thanks for your advice, man!

Hey Mads, No problem :) As for the math issue... well, it's more an issue of algorithms and digital stuff, some of which goes above my head. But, in theory it works fine going from 96 to 88.2 - I'm guessing it's more to do with the software algorithm used than a computers ability to do the math. Are you definitely converting the audio files to 96khz and have you set the sample rate of the project to match? What audio interface are you using? Personally, if my final output is going to be 44.1 then I see no benefit in upsampling files to 96 in order to downsample them to 44.1 in the Mastering process... especially if the audio was recorded at 44.1. I think of it in terms of this scenario: Everybody in the world is using mono speaker systems to listen to music. I have a stereo equipped studio so I spend a lot of time and effort making the most kick ass mix in stereo with panning and automated pans etc. It sounds amazing on my studio monitors. When I master it I have to master it in mono anyway so everyone else can listen to it on their mono systems.... ;-) This analogy, though not technically accurate is just my opinion. When we have popular consumer playback systems that support 88.2 or 96k and my Mac is powerful enough to cope with this then I'll definitely start recording at 96, until then (for me) 44.1 and 48 suit me fine... especially as most music is still being compressed right down to mp3 format anyways. As for SRC in iTunes and Logic. To be honest I would have thought that Logic's would either be the same as iTunes or better than... I'd recommend doing a test using both iTunes and Logic to see which one you think sounds better :) Cheers! Rounik