Nyquist Frequency Calculator
Reviewed by Hamza Gujjar, Algorithm Architect & Software Developer
Last updated: July 27, 2026The hard ceiling on what digital audio can capture
The Nyquist-Shannon sampling theorem sets a hard limit on the highest frequency a digital audio system can accurately represent - exactly half the sample rate, with anything above that limit corrupted into false lower frequencies (aliasing) instead of being properly captured.
Worked example
For standard 44.1 kHz CD-quality audio:
Nyquist Frequency = 44100 / 2 = 22,050.0 Hz
This 22.05 kHz limit comfortably exceeds the roughly 20 kHz upper limit of human hearing, which is exactly why 44.1 kHz was chosen as the CD audio standard - it captures the full range of audible frequencies with margin to spare, without wasting storage space on ultrasonic frequencies humans cannot perceive anyway.