Recording workflow
Recording Storage Calculator
Estimate the raw storage required for uncompressed PCM recording from sample rate, bit depth, channel count and duration.
Estimate PCM recording storage
Enter sample rate, bit depth, track count and recording duration.
This is raw PCM audio only. DAW project data, edits, alternate takes, rendered files, backups and file-system overhead require additional storage.
What the estimate includes
The calculation is the theoretical data size of linear PCM audio. Doubling the track count doubles the storage requirement; doubling the sample rate does the same. Moving from 16-bit to 24-bit increases raw audio storage by 50 percent.
Why real sessions need more space
Working sessions usually contain alternate takes, edits, consolidated files, rendered mixes, plug-in data and backups. For planning, raw audio capacity should be treated as the floor rather than the complete project requirement.
GB versus GiB
The calculator shows both decimal gigabytes and binary gibibytes. Storage manufacturers normally advertise decimal GB, while operating systems and software may report capacity differently.