Creating a more accurate digital representation of an analog signal. In order to work with real-world signals in the computer, analog signals are sampled some number of times per second (frequency) and converted into digital code. Using averaging and different algorithms, samples can be generated between existing samples, creating more digital information for complex signals, "smoothing out the curve" so to speak.

Sampling requires at least twice the bandwidth of the frequency being sampled. For example, with regard to sound, 20 kHz is the highest frequency perceptible to the human ear, and sampling is done at 44.1 kHz for high quality audio playback. A 2x oversampling means that the CD player runs at twice the rate, or 88.2 kHz, and inserts a made-up sample in between each real sample on the disc. An 8x oversampling runs eight times faster and so on. See sampling.