Audio Bitrate File Size
Calculator
Results
- File size (bytes)
- 9,600,000
- File size (MB, 10⁶ bytes)
- 9.6
- File size (MiB, 2²⁰ bytes)
- 9.155273
Music and audio results
| File size (bytes) | 9,600,000 |
| File size (MB, 10⁶ bytes) | 9.6 |
| File size (MiB, 2²⁰ bytes) | 9.155273 |
formula-map diagram
- File size (bytes)
- 9,600,000
- File size (MB, 10⁶ bytes)
- 9.6
- File size (MiB, 2²⁰ bytes)
- 9.155273
Musical and acoustic relationship
Formula
bytes = bitrate ÷ 8 × duration= 9600000
Note
This result is a simplified model: it applies the displayed standard formula to the values you entered, assuming twelve-tone equal temperament, a speed of sound of 343 m/s in dry air at 20 °C, an ideal free field with no reflections or air absorption, purely resistive speaker loads and Sabine's diffuse-field assumption. Real rooms, instruments, codecs and amplifiers depart from these idealisations, so measure with proper instruments for critical work.
More in Music and audio
See all →Frequently asked questions
How does bitrate translate into file size?+
File size in bits equals bitrate (in bits per second) multiplied by duration in seconds, then divided by 8 to convert to bytes. A 3-minute (180 second) MP3 at 320 kbps works out to roughly 7.2 MB.
Why do two files of the same length have different sizes at different bitrates?+
Bitrate controls how much data is used to represent each second of audio, so a higher bitrate like 320 kbps stores more detail per second than 128 kbps, resulting in a larger file for the same duration. This is the fundamental tradeoff between audio quality and storage space in compressed formats.
Does this apply to both constant and variable bitrate files?+
This formula gives an exact result for constant bitrate (CBR) files, but variable bitrate (VBR) files fluctuate their rate based on audio complexity, so the calculator's output for VBR should be treated as an average estimate rather than an exact figure. VBR files are often smaller than CBR at the same 'average' quality setting because they save bits during simple passages.
Why is bitrate expressed in kbps rather than just bits per second?+
Kilobits per second (kbps) keeps the numbers in a manageable range for the values commonly used in audio, roughly 96 to 320 kbps for MP3, rather than writing out five- or six-digit bit-per-second figures. It's purely a convenience for the scale audio compression actually uses.
Is a higher bitrate always better?+
Not necessarily past a certain point, since formats like MP3 and AAC reach a threshold, often around 256-320 kbps, where most listeners can no longer distinguish the compressed file from the original. Beyond that threshold you're mainly paying in file size without a meaningful gain in perceived quality.