Work out audio bitrate and size instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.
Uncompressed PCM bitrate is sample rate times bit depth times channels, which gives 1,411 kbps for CD-quality stereo and 1,536 kbps at 48 kHz. Lossy codecs achieve perceptual transparency for most listeners at around a tenth of that, which is why a 60-minute recording drops from roughly 660 MB to under 60 MB.
PCM bitrate
bitrate = sample rate x bit depth x channels; bytes = bitrate x duration / 8
48 kHz is the video and broadcast standard and avoids resampling in production workflows. 44.1 kHz comes from CD and remains common in music distribution.
For recording and mixing yes, because it gives headroom against clipping and quantisation noise. For distribution, 16-bit exceeds the dynamic range of any playback environment.