How Much Storage Space Do I Need For My Full-Spectrum Recordings?

The storage space taken up by an uncompressed, full-spectrum audio recording is a product of four factors:

  1. The length of the recording, in seconds
  2. The sample rate of the recording, in samples per second or Hertz
  3. The bit depth of the recording, in bits per sample
  4. The number of recording channels

All of our recorders produce .wav files with a 16-bit depth, except for our marine units, which can optionally be configured to record with a 32-bit depth. The sample rate of our recorders is user-configurable.

You can use our free Song Meter Configurator software to estimate when SD cards of any size will fill up based on your recording schedule and audio settings. You will need to log in to your Wildlife Acoustics account or create a free account, select the recorder, and look for the configurator download. Note that Song Meter Mini and Song Meter Micro can be configured via their mobile apps.

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