No for most music delivery. Consistency and legality beat fetish sample rates. Deliver at the rate the storefront asks for, usually 44.1 or 48 kHz.

Does CoProducer convert for you?

It measures and reports. Conversion is a separate bounce decision — fix the session or re-export at the right rate and depth.

Should I deliver 32-bit float?

Keep 32-bit float for session and archive work. Most distributors want 16- or 24-bit PCM WAV/FLAC. Dither when you go to 16-bit.

Why does CoProducer fail under 44.1 kHz?

Because most storefronts reject or silently upsample junk rates. A 32 kHz file is not a master, even if the filename says MASTER.

Sampled waveform stems and quantized stairs with AD converter on dark marble

Delivery · 21 August 2026 · 8 min

Sample rate and bit depth are delivery hygiene

NoDAW Labs · Lacquer Vol. 02

CoProducer fails sample rates under 44.1 kHz. A 32 kHz MP3 labeled MASTER is not a master. Bit depth and rate mistakes are cheap to prevent and expensive to explain to a distributor.

You already know the loudness and true-peak story. This gate is quieter. It does not change how the chorus hits. It decides whether the portal accepts the upload on Monday. Treat rate and depth like file naming: boring, visible, non-negotiable.

Why 32 kHz fails — and what CoProducer flags

Most storefronts expect at least 44.1 kHz. Anything under that is usually a bounced-down preview, a voice-memo export, or an MP3 someone renamed. CoProducer’s release gate matches the checklist: sample rate ≥ 44.1 kHz. Fail it in private before the distributor fails you in public.

Wrong rate does not always sound broken on laptop speakers. Nyquist for 32 kHz is 16 kHz, so air and cymbals are already gone or aliased. The bigger problem is process: the file is not what the storefront asked for. If the report paints sample rate red, re-export from the session at a legal rate — do not argue with the meter.

44.1 vs 48 vs 96: when each is fine

44.1 kHz is still the music default — CD heritage, most sample libraries, and a huge chunk of distributor templates. If you mixed at 44.1 and the storefront says 44.1, deliver 44.1.

48 kHz is the video / game / broadcast lane, and plenty of producers work there for everything. Fine for music when the portal accepts it. If a partner insists on 44.1, convert once with a high-quality SRC on the final bounce — not three times across assistants’ laptops.

96 kHz helps when you are stacking nonlinear plugins, pitching, or archiving. It is not a loudness upgrade and it is not required for streaming. Shipping 96 when the portal wants 44.1/48 just means someone else resamples you, often worse than you would. Consistency beats fetish.

Rate	Fine when	Cargo cult when
44.1 kHz	Music delivery, matching a 44.1 session	You upsampled a 32 kHz MP3 and called it high-res
48 kHz	Video, games, portals that list 48	You convert “just in case” without asking
96 kHz	Heavy processing, archive, clients who asked	You think the stream will sound “more 96”

Bit depth: 16 vs 24 vs 32-float

Bit depth is headroom and noise floor while you work, not a vibe knob. Rough numbers: 16-bit theoretical noise floor sits around −96 dBFS; 24-bit around −144 dBFS. In a real room you never hear the bottom of 24-bit. What you hear is whether you clipped, or truncated without dither on the way down.

32-bit float forgives overs inside the box — keep it for mixing, stems, and archives. Most distributors want integer PCM, usually 24-bit WAV or FLAC, sometimes 16-bit for CD / legacy paths. Check the portal. When you go to 16-bit, dither. Truncation without dither adds grain on quiet fades. Staying at 24-bit for delivery usually needs no dither.

Bounce checklist

Check	Target	Notes
Sample rate	≥ 44.1 kHz; match the portal	Convert once, high-quality SRC
Bit depth	24-bit PCM typical; 16-bit if asked	Dither only when reducing depth
File type	WAV or FLAC as required	Not an MP3 labeled MASTER
True peak / LUFS	Same six-gate checklist	Rate and depth do not fix clips
Naming	Include rate and depth in the filename	Stops assistants guessing

A bounce named Title_master_48k_24b.wav beats a folder of FINAL_FINAL2.mp3. Hygiene is half engineering and half labeling.

Common traps

MP3 labeled MASTER. Lossy encode is a distribution format after the master exists, not the master. Export PCM first.

Resampling twice. Session at 48 → “preview” at 44.1 → “fix” back to 48. Each pass costs fidelity. Convert once on the ship bounce.

Cheap SRC. Real-time device converters are not all equal. For a release convert, use a known-good offline SRC, then re-measure.

Upsampling junk. Turning a 32 kHz voice memo into 96 kHz does not restore missing air. Fix the source session.

How to verify

Read the file properties before you open the portal. ffprobe is enough:

ffprobe -v error -select_streams a:0 \
  -show_entries stream=sample_rate,bits_per_raw_sample,bits_per_sample,codec_name \
  -of default=nw=1 MASTER.wav

You want sample_rate=44100 or 48000, a PCM codec, and bit depth that matches the portal. If ffprobe shows mp3 or 32000, stop. Drop the same file on CoProducer’s analyze table — sample rate under 44.1 kHz fails the gate on purpose, beside LUFS, true peak, clips, phase, and score. Private red is cheaper than Monday morning email.

Is 96 kHz required?: No for most music delivery. Consistency and legality beat fetish sample rates. Deliver at the rate the storefront asks for, usually 44.1 or 48 kHz.
Does CoProducer convert for you?: It measures and reports. Conversion is a separate bounce decision — fix the session or re-export at the right rate and depth.
Should I deliver 32-bit float?: Keep 32-bit float for session and archive work. Most distributors want 16- or 24-bit PCM WAV/FLAC. Dither when you go to 16-bit.
Why does CoProducer fail under 44.1 kHz?: Because most storefronts reject or silently upsample junk rates. A 32 kHz file is not a master, even if the filename says MASTER.