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What is the bandwidth for an audio signal?

Published in Audio Engineering 2 mins read

The bandwidth of an audio signal refers to the range of frequencies it contains.

A typical audio signal, such as music or human speech, occupies a bandwidth of 20 Hz to 20 kHz. This range encompasses the frequencies that humans can typically hear.

The bandwidth of an audio signal can vary depending on the type of sound being recorded or transmitted. For example, a telephone conversation might have a bandwidth of 300 Hz to 3.4 kHz, while high-fidelity music recordings can extend to 40 kHz or even higher.

The bandwidth of an audio signal is a critical factor in determining the quality of sound reproduction. A wider bandwidth allows for a more detailed and accurate reproduction of the original sound, while a narrower bandwidth can result in a loss of high-frequency information.

The bandwidth of an audio signal is also important for digital audio processing. When audio is digitized, it is sampled at a certain rate, and the sampling rate must be at least twice the highest frequency in the audio signal to avoid aliasing.

Here are some examples of how bandwidth affects audio:

* **Telephone conversations:** The limited bandwidth of telephone lines results in a loss of high-frequency information, which is why telephone conversations can sound thin and muffled.
* **Music recordings:** High-fidelity music recordings often have a wide bandwidth, which allows for a more detailed and accurate reproduction of the original sound.
* **Streaming services:** Streaming services often compress audio to reduce file sizes, which can result in a reduction in bandwidth.

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