If you haven’t already seen it there is an excellent new video online from Fabfilter which takes a detailed look at one of the least well understood aspects of digital audio - the effect higher rates of sampling frequency has on audio. Taken at face value it is easy to reach the conclusion that, in terms of absolute fidelity, the higher the sample rate the better. There are practical considerations in terms of the extra strain running at 192KHz will put on a system but surely a bigger number is better?

Like most things in life it’s a little more complicated than that and in this very detailed video Dan Worrall breaks down the issues and misconceptions around sample rate, the Nyquist limit and the crucial role anti-aliasing filters play in keeping the very distracting artefacts caused by intermodulation distortion out of the audible frequency range. Using carefully chosen examples he demonstrates the effect and illustrates the problem oversampling in plug-ins seeks to solve.

The video is long and very dense but we really recommend you watch it as it is the best explanation of this very technical area of digital audio we’ve seen.

Learn More About The Plug-ins Featured In This Video

FabFilter Saturn

Distortion and saturation are important in music production as both help to add colour and interest to sound. Saturn is a powerful yet intuitive plug-in which delivers subtle, clean and warm tube or tape saturation through to wild multiband overdriven guitar amp effects. Watch our review of FabFilter’s Saturn to learn more and to hear it in action.

FabFilter Pro-C2

Compression is an essential process in production but it can often be over-used, squeezing the life and vibe from a track. FabFilter’s Pro-C2 is a great tool to choose to avoid such instances as it’s GUI provides detailed dynamics behaviour and the output automatically compensates for level differences helping you and your ears dial in the right amount of squeeze each and every time. Pro-C2 isn’t just a one-trick pony as it provides a wealth of different compressor types and a powerful side-chain section which you can use to further focus your dynamics processing.

FabFilter Pro-Q3

FabFilter’s Pro-Q3 has earned an excellent reputation and is widely considered as a gold standard EQ plug-in in both music and post production. Its learning curve is shallow and range of features is plentiful. Watch our review of FabFilter’s Pro-Q3 to learn about its many useful EQ components and to hear it in action in a music mix.