44.1 vs 48 kHz: does your project sample rate change the sound?

The other day, JIKU, a member of my Low End Mastery Community, asked a very interesting question about whether sample rate really makes a difference when using samples for production, and what happens when rendering.

Here is my answer.

What happens inside the project

Let’s analyze it: if you’re working in a DAW and your project’s sample rate is set to 48,000, any sample you import will automatically be resampled to that rate.

This conversion could change the peak value of the sample, as it adds additional sample points. Depending on the DAW and the resampling algorithm used, the sound may differ, which is why I always recommend A/B testing the “HiQ” button in Ableton. There’s definitely something there.

Additionally, if your project is set to a 48,000 sample rate, all plugins will process the signal at that frequency. This leads to a different sound: with more frequency “headroom”, you’ll get less aliasing and a cleaner sound.

This also affects any plugins that use oversampling, as the Nyquist limit will be further away.

What about downsampling and conversion?

If you later downsample your exported 48,000 Hz file, the difference will be minimal and largely unnoticeable. You’ll simply lose that additional high-frequency “headroom”, but it won’t significantly impact the overall song.

That’s why, in my mastering studio, all my projects are set to a 96 kHz sample rate. I work in that format and later convert the final approved master to 48 kHz and 44.1 kHz for delivery. All those versions sound quite similar.

However, if I change my project sample rate and export three different files, one at 96 kHz, another at 48 kHz and the third at 44.1 kHz, there’s a significant difference in sound, because the plugins process the audio differently.

This difference is quite obvious, and it’s not a good one.