Nil, yes the number of samples (for each cycle of each frequency component of the analog signal that is being digitized) increases as you described, as the analog signal frequency decreases. Hi rez also increases the number of samples per cycle. For instance, a 192 kHz sample rate provides 192/44.1 = 4.35 times as many samples as redbook cd's 44.1 kHz sample rate.
However, what is often not recognized is that the problem with having a finite sample rate and a relatively limited number of samples of high frequency components in the signal is not "gaps," per se. In theory, if an infinitely long analog waveform is digitized using a sample rate that is at least twice the frequency of the highest frequency component of the analog signal, and if the number of bits per sample are high enough to reduce what is called "quantization noise" to insignificant levels, the digital data can be converted back to analog perfectly, with no loss of information in the "gaps."
Arguably the most significant theoretical issue, however, is that frequency components in the original analog signal that equal or exceed half the sample rate MUST be kept out of the a/d converter, or they will be reconstructed following d/a conversion as spurious lower frequencies (referred to as "alias frequencies"). Keeping those frequencies out of the a/d converter, while at the same time avoiding side-effects on audible frequencies, has historically been one of the most major technical challenges in digital. Hi rez formats certainly have a big advantage with that issue, all else being equal, as 96 and 192 kHz exceed twice the highest audible frequency (nominally 20 kHz x 2 = 40 kHz) by a far larger factor than redbook's 44.1 kHz.
Best regards,
-- Al
However, what is often not recognized is that the problem with having a finite sample rate and a relatively limited number of samples of high frequency components in the signal is not "gaps," per se. In theory, if an infinitely long analog waveform is digitized using a sample rate that is at least twice the frequency of the highest frequency component of the analog signal, and if the number of bits per sample are high enough to reduce what is called "quantization noise" to insignificant levels, the digital data can be converted back to analog perfectly, with no loss of information in the "gaps."
Arguably the most significant theoretical issue, however, is that frequency components in the original analog signal that equal or exceed half the sample rate MUST be kept out of the a/d converter, or they will be reconstructed following d/a conversion as spurious lower frequencies (referred to as "alias frequencies"). Keeping those frequencies out of the a/d converter, while at the same time avoiding side-effects on audible frequencies, has historically been one of the most major technical challenges in digital. Hi rez formats certainly have a big advantage with that issue, all else being equal, as 96 and 192 kHz exceed twice the highest audible frequency (nominally 20 kHz x 2 = 40 kHz) by a far larger factor than redbook's 44.1 kHz.
Best regards,
-- Al