How big is a 5-minute stereo WAV file?

At CD quality (44.1 kHz, 16-bit, stereo): approximately 50 MB. At 24-bit: about 76 MB. At 96 kHz, 24-bit: about 165 MB. These are uncompressed sizes — FLAC compression typically reduces this by 30-50%.

Why are WAV files so large?

WAV files store uncompressed PCM audio data — every single sample is stored at full precision. A CD-quality stereo file generates 44,100 samples × 2 bytes × 2 channels = 176,400 bytes per second, or about 10 MB per minute.

How much storage do I need for a recording session?

For a typical band recording at 48 kHz, 24-bit with 16 tracks: each track uses about 8.2 MB per minute. For a 4-hour session: 16 × 8.2 × 240 = approximately 31 GB. Always have at least 50% more storage available than calculated.

Does higher sample rate and bit depth always mean better quality?

For recording, 24-bit is strongly recommended over 16-bit for the extra headroom. Sample rates above 48 kHz offer diminishing returns for most applications. The final delivery format (CD, streaming, vinyl) will determine what you need, but recording at higher specs preserves options for mastering.

Are the sizes shown in MB or MiB?

These figures use the binary base (1 MB = 1,024 × 1,024 = 1,048,576 bytes), which is exactly how Windows File Explorer displays and labels file sizes — Explorer divides by 1,048,576 but still writes "MB". So the numbers here match what you will see on a Windows drive. Strictly per the SI/IEC standard this binary unit is a mebibyte (MiB); decimal MB = 1,000,000 bytes, so a file shown here as 50.5 MB is 52.9 decimal MB. macOS (Snow Leopard and later) reports the decimal figure. The raw byte count in the breakdown lets you convert either way.

AudioCalcs

Audio File Size Calculator — WAV & Uncompressed Formats

Estimate file size for WAV, AIFF and other uncompressed audio formats.

Sample RateAudio sample rate in Hz

Bit DepthAudio bit depth (bits per sample)

ChannelsNumber of audio channels

Duration

Length of time

How We Calculate This

File Size Formula

Size (bytes) = Sample Rate × (Bit Depth / 8) × Channels × Duration (seconds)

Bitrate

Bitrate (kbps) = Sample Rate × Bit Depth × Channels / 1000

CD quality stereo = 44,100 × 16 × 2 = 1,411 kbps. Compare this to MP3 at 320 kbps or AAC at 256 kbps to understand the compression ratio.

MB vs MiB

File sizes here use the binary base (1 MB = 1,048,576 bytes, 1 GB = 1,073,741,824 bytes) — the same convention Windows File Explorer uses when it labels sizes "MB" and "GB". This is technically a mebibyte (MiB) / gibibyte (GiB); the decimal SI value (÷1,000,000) is about 4.9% larger at the MB level. The breakdown shows the exact byte count so you can convert to either base.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Last updated: February 2026

All calculations are estimates based on standard formulas. Always verify results for critical applications.