What sample rate?

Sorry for the beginner's question, but what sample rate is most commonly used in home music recording? By default, I've been using 44.1 kHz, as that's the the default rate on my M-Audio interface. Is there any benefit and improvement to my recordings by moving the knob up to 48 kHz or higher?
 
Thanks for your advice and opinions.
 
Bob

Set your audio recording to 24 bits as default.  Export to Wave with 16 bits. (CD quality is 16 bits/44.1Khz sampling rate)
 
I use 24bit recording and export 16/44.1 and it sounds good. It works for me.
 
It's possible to record at higher sample rates, it uses more hard drive space and for home and small commercial studio projects, you can not hear the difference.

If you are producing files going to CD, then you must convert at some point to 16-bit.  Most folks do this during the export of audio, but some do it outside of Sonar altogether.  Doesn't matter - it's purely personal preference, but 16-bit is the CD standard.
 
MP3 files don't care about bit-depth.
 
Bob Bone

bitflipper
Just don't let anybody tell you that you must record at a higher rate because it sounds better.
 

Even if it''s somebody like Bob Olhsson?,who NEVER said one"must",he just said something one day on GS that [I can't find the thread unfortunately,so I do genuinely hope I'm not badly misquoting the man!] "I played back some of my older things[?] at 96KHz[again I'm not sure,if he meant he re-recorded,or just simply changed the "sample rate"]and they definitely had an improved sound"
 
I'm very sorry if this offends[or worse doesn't],it's just,as an "experiment" I changed everything in "Preffs.-Audio Data" to the highest-64[even on my lowly Dell xps L502x i7 Sandy Bridge mobile cpu 2630qm,and [of course!]the Highest Sample Rate on my 09 SONAR V-Studio 100,loaded an old project,remixed with the NEW settings and yes,I hardly noticed a difference.
 
A: I have Extremely LOUD Never abating "broken" Crash Cymbal or "Hissing" sounding Tinnitus [ever since October 23 1993]EDIT: Do I?
 
B: I only have "Ro*** 5" monitors,which I HATE with an almost "violence inducing" passion,so Iv'e only been using my old Stereo Speakers ATM.
 
Left Tannoy EATON-10" driver-pepper pot tweeter-within the driver,something called "Dual Concentric"Integrated LoudSpeaker System.
 
Right 8" driver/woofer,2" Tweeter housed in a rather crappy Home Made cabinet[not by me though]both powered by a Sherwood RA-1140 Reciever/Amp.and until I realized the then unfamiliar VS-100 was quite seriously "overdriving" the output signal,was even a "Hair"over "Unity" on the playback pot,the previously "stunning top end clarity" of the Much Loved EATON,was now ruined,to just being "ordinary".
 
Though My First EVER CD,was The WHO,Who's Next-original Aussie Release,bought in 1986.
 
The problem was I'd only used "Bus Powered" USB 1.1,and 2.0[N.I. ***] before,and it still brings a "tear to my eye" that after 20 years of even cassettes[brings to mind Soungardens 1994 SUPERUNKNOWN LP-Snare Drum clarity]was now GONE.
 
I also do checks of mixes,attempts at checking masters before inflicting an already bombarded with"complete toss" public,via soundcloud with the strangely maligned SONY MDR-7509HD Headphones,and THEN I sensed a possibly imaginary improvement,BEFORE exporting to "The Cloud"at 24 bit 44.1 .wav files[which seem to take an eternity-while sufferable,does amuse one how a 105mb "download" is often a minute or so,but the same sized "upload" to soundcloud,can at times take nearly a "half episode" of the English SPY series SPOOKS.
 
My conclusion to all this is 24bit record/renderring,Original import settings[Audio Data-Preffs.]and 48KHz is the best I'm gonna get[esp. with the "dynamic" only mic's],also in regard to HDD space/cpu power consumption/cruelty.
Sincerely
Bob Sattler

robert_e_bone
The rest of this endless debate is the same as it has been for years and years, and it will not get resolved here whatsoever.

 
Actually it has changed somewhat over the years - because technology and practices have evolved in various ways that people may or may not be aware of the significance of.
But it is indeed unlikely to be resolved here anytime soon. 

24 bit 44.1 K or 48 K here.

This !!!! "The sound-stage is more 3D and detailed when working at higher sample-rates", internal processing benefits from higher sampling rates as well, i think people seem to forget that, and think sampling rates are all about recording