Like most people, I long believed that when it comes to digital audio, higher numbers—bit depth, sample rate, and so on—meant better sound. Fortunately for us, that is simply not the case. So what sample rate and bit depth should you use for recording and mixing in a home studio?

Only a few years ago, it would have been unthinkable to insert a compressor, two EQs, and a different reverb on every single track of a mix. And when you think about it, it would not only have been expensive—it would have been seen as absurd and unnecessary. Yet in the world of in-the-box mixing, this happens all the time. And it may come at the expense of audio quality.