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Name5EE7
Participating Frequently
January 19, 2021
Question

Service Provider is Trying to Convince me that an Upscaled .Wav is Just as Good

  • January 19, 2021
  • 1 reply
  • 144 views

A service provider was supposed to record a .wav file for me with Sample Rate: 48 kHz and Bit Depth: 24, to match other .wav recordings which had already been recorded with Sample Rate: 48 kHz and Bit Depth: 24.

 

Instead they recorded it with Sample Rate: 44.1 kHz and Bit Depth: 16. Having acknowledged their mistake, they now say they've "fixed" it by converting it to Sample Rate: 48 kHz and Bit Depth: 24.

 

The properties of their "fixed" file do now show Sample Rate: 48 kHz and Bit Depth: 24. But my understanding is (and everything that I read on the subject says) that such a conversion / upscale is a scam of sorts, and that, even though the file size is now larger, the audio quality is not - and cannot be - improved.

 

They, however, insist that I'm wrong, and refuse to re-record correctly. When I point them to information on the subject online, they tell me it's wrong.

 

Are they right, or am I? And, if it's me who's right, what can I do and/or tell them to convince them of that?

 

Thank you so much for the help.

This topic has been closed for replies.

1 reply

SteveG_AudioMasters_
Community Expert
SteveG_AudioMasters_Community Expert
Community Expert
January 19, 2021

You are correct; you cannot improve the quality by upscaling the recording.

 

But the chances are that you wouldn't be able to tell the difference quality-wise anyway. If you want to be absolutely sure, then you shouldn't let them do the resampling - you should do it yourself in Audition. In all of the tests done, (I can find a link if you want, I think) Audition's resampling came out tops compared to all other software resamplers. Yes, it really is the best.

 

But unless their recording has a dynamic range of over 90dB, and a load of necessary information in the 22-24kHz range which no human could possibly hear unless they were a very young child), then the conversion that you do won't lose or gain anything anyway.

 

You may tell them what I've said, and also point out that technically, I'm rather better qualified to say so than they are!

    N
    Name5EE7Author
    Participating Frequently
    January 19, 2021

    Thank you so much for this response, Steve!

     

    The thing about the chances of not being able to tell the difference anyway is...  I don't want to take the chance. This project is not cheap, and a "pro" service provider should be able to do it correctly.

     

    I'll tell them that you're better qualified to say so than they are, but I won't hold my breath re: it convincing them that they're wrong. 🙂

     

    Thanks again!

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