sample rate

Sample rate is the rate at which a digital device samples an audio signal, and lowering it is a recognized effect in its own right¹. Reducing the sample rate produces lo-fi artifacts, from fizzy, almost otherworldly sounds² to metallic flavors ranging from ring-mod-type sounds to rumbly noise³, and can turn a guitar into 8-bit video game sounds or twist scales into inharmonic melodies⁴. Sample rate reduction appears in pedals such as bit crushers and dedicated sample rate reducers⁵⁶, and is used to mimic tape and VHS degradation⁷. Conversely, a high sample rate keeps tonality change to an almost inaudible level and prevents audio quality loss⁸⁹.