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Audio File Size Calculator

Plan a recording before you start. Estimate compressed audio from bitrate or uncompressed PCM from sample rate, channels and bit depth. Compare decimal and binary units, then work backward from your own file-size limit.

Updated

Input
Duration plus bitrate or PCM settings
Output
MB, MiB, bytes, max duration
Privacy
No audio file, no upload
Price
Free, no account

Audio file size calculator

No file upload

Interactive tool controls

Describe the recording

Enter the length, then the bitrate or PCM settings.

Set a file limit

See the longest recording that fits under it.

Estimated audio data size

57.60 MB

Binary units
54.93 MiB
Exact bytes
57,600,000

Maximum duration under 100 MB

104:10

Before container/header overhead (minutes:seconds, rounded down).

This estimates audio data before container headers and metadata. Variable bitrate and actual encoder behavior can change the final size. Leave a margin under your own file limit.

Two simple audio-size models

The formulas for compressed bitrate and uncompressed PCM audio.

Compressed bytes = seconds × kbps × 1,000 ÷ 8. PCM bytes = seconds × samples per second × channels × bits per sample ÷ 8. The reverse estimate divides your file limit by bytes per second and rounds down to a whole second.

For example, 60 minutes at 128 kbps contains 57,600,000 bytes of compressed audio data: 57.6 MB or about 54.93 MiB. One minute of 48 kHz, 16-bit stereo PCM contains 11,520,000 bytes before headers.

Use your actual recording settings

Pick the model that matches your encoder; video is excluded.

A compressed bitrate model is useful when you know the encoder’s target rate. A PCM estimate is useful for uncompressed audio. They do not estimate the video track in a camera recording. Check the final downloaded file size before uploading it to a service with a limit.

Questions about this tool

Short answers about what the tool does, what it leaves out and where your data goes.

Are MB and MiB the same?

No. One MB is 1,000,000 bytes; one MiB is 1,048,576 bytes. This calculator shows both and lets you choose the unit for your target limit.

Will the downloaded recording be exactly this size?

No. Container headers, metadata and variable bitrate can change the final file. The estimate models audio data before that overhead, so leave a margin under your limit.

Does the calculator need an audio file?

No. It uses only the duration and settings you enter. It does not fetch, upload or transcribe a recording.

Pick up where this tool leaves off.

Ready to read it on camera?

LilPrompter is a free online teleprompter. Paste your script, choose a scroll speed and read on camera, with no signup or download.

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