Published by PitchChanger · Updated · How these guides are made
How to use this workflow
Identify the output settings
Write the duration in seconds, output sample rate, channel count and integer PCM bit depth.
Count frames and bytes
Multiply seconds by frames per second, then channels and bytes per sample. Each frame contains one sample for every channel.
Check the downloaded file
Use the converter for the required delivery format and inspect the resulting byte count. Treat the calculation as payload, not an exact container size.
A five-minute stereo delivery at 48 kHz
For 300 seconds at 48,000 frames per second, there are 14,400,000 frames. Stereo 24-bit PCM uses 2 × 3 = 6 bytes per frame: 86,400,000 payload bytes, or 86.4 decimal MB.
The table changes one setting at a time. These are original calculations, not exported file measurements. A WAV header, metadata chunks or padding can increase the actual file size.
Swipe or scroll sideways to read all columns.
| Settings for 300 s | Bytes per frame | PCM payload |
|---|---|---|
| 48 kHz / stereo / 24-bit | 6 | 86,400,000 bytes |
| 48 kHz / stereo / 16-bit | 4 | 57,600,000 bytes |
| 48 kHz / mono / 24-bit | 3 | 43,200,000 bytes |
| 96 kHz / stereo / 24-bit | 6 | 172,800,000 bytes |
Do not confuse storage and browser memory
A decoded buffer may use 32-bit floating-point samples regardless of the source file bit depth. The browser can retain source, decoded audio, effects and encoded output simultaneously. The PCM payload estimate is not a peak-memory prediction.
Changing a sample rate or bit depth does not restore information missing from the source. Choose the destination requirement before increasing file size. For very long material, keep the source and test a short excerpt first.