Sampling, sampling frequency
Discretization (discretization frequency – ing.) – transcoding an analog signal into digital by reading the characteristics of the signal at a given moment and converting it into a digital data matrix (approx. 100010110).
The sampling rate is a parameter that allows you to know the number of calls to an analog (or digital) signal in a given period of time (usually one second), to record frequencies in digital form or to convert to an analog signal.
If we rely on Kotelnikov’s theorem, then to record a lossless signal, a sample rate is required that is two or more times greater than the maximum sound frequency of the played track. That is, in theory 44,100 Hz will be sufficient for most recordings, which is more than 2 times higher than the threshold for human audible frequencies, but this is not entirely true.
The higher the sampling frequency, the more accurately the sound will be reproduced in an analog or digital signal. However, the more conversions made from analog to digital and vice versa, the more the precision and quality of the original signal recording will be lost.
The maximum sample rate for 2010 was 2,822,400 Hz and was compliant with the Super Audio CD (SACD) standard. Most multimedia centers, home theater systems have DACs (digital-to-analog converters) and ADCs (analog-to-digital converters) with a sample rate of 192,000 Hz.
To convert a signal into analog, special chips are used: DACs (digital to analog converters). To convert the signal to digital, ADCs (analog to digital converters) are used.
These microchips and chipsets have a variety of characteristics other than sample rate, such as THD, the amount of interference introduced by the transformation, the number of possible false errors, no saving a digital signal, and so on.
