Nyquist Frequency

The Nyquist frequency is a term from information theory and signal processing. It describes the maximum frequency that an analogue signal can have in order to be correctly converted into a digital signal.

In order to convert an analog signal into a digital signal, it is first measured at regular time intervals (the so-called sampling interval) and the measured values ​​are saved in a special format. The number of times the analog signal is sampled is called the sampling frequency. If the sampling frequency is high enough, the analog signal can be reproduced correctly when later converted back to analog form.

The Nyquist frequency defines the digital audio boundary — how it influences sample rate decisions in mastering is shown in the Mastering Guide.

The Nyquist frequency is half the sampling frequency and indicates the maximum frequency that an analog signal can have before it can still be correctly converted into a digital signal. This relationship is called the Nyquist sampling theorem. It is therefore border is Digitalization described.

Example: Becomes an analog signal with a Sampling frequency of 48 kHz sampled, the Nyquist frequency is 24 kHz. This means that the analog signal must have a maximum frequency of 24 kHz so that it can be correctly converted into a digital signal. Higher frequencies would be lost in the conversion and could not be reproduced. Especially in mastering Therefore, high sample rates are used in order to reproduce the waveform digitally as faithfully as possible to the original after analog processing.