Musicians Collaboration Studio

16 bit vs 24 bit Soundcard

 

Offline Studioplayer

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Recording at 24bit/48Khz, if your end result is CD / MP3 you actually introduce much more potential problems as you have to get rid of 3900 samples/second (some of which might be important!)

So are you saying it would be better to record 16 bit ? My end result will be CD or MP3 if I want others to hear it.


Offline Cary

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NO.  The sampling rate (44.1 or 48) is what was being pointed out.

When you read something like this: 24bit / 44.1Khz, that is telling of bit depth and sampling rate.  Bit depth (in this example, 24bit) refers to the amount of steps in the amplitude (height) of the waveform.  Sampling rate (44.1Khz) refers to the amount of sample per second for the waveform.  In this case it's 44.1Khz means that there are 44,100 samples for each second of the waveshape.

The sampling rate for CD audio is 44.1khz.  If you record in 48khz, you would have to do a sample rate conversion before having a file which would be correct for CD audio.  Some think that the added benefit of recording in the higher rate is "lost' during to sample rate conversion.

16 or 24 'bit' refers to the number of steps to specify the 'amplitude' of the wave shape.  24 bit is the way to go.
Cary


Offline NickT

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Offline Studioplayer

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Yes. Good explaination Cary. I'm actually starting to understand it better. Thanks guys. This is really helping.  :)

Dave


Offline Tacman7

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Frank had some interesting info from another board I frequent:

quote-
Okay, Lee, here's where one of the disadvantages of having your version of Cubase rather than C4 or SX comes...you have a dithering plugin, but you don't have the superior plugin that is in the top end versions of Cubase. Anyway, here's some info:
a) Generally you should leave everything in 24 bit until you have mixed a song down to 2 tracks, have mastered it in Cubase, and are ready to export a 16 bit stereo file for CD burning. Do not dither 24 bit tracks to 16 bit until the very last; work in 24 bit or 32 bit floating point until the last possible moment
b) The dithering plugin goes in slots 7 or 8 in your Stereo master bus Inserts, not in 1-6.
c) SX and C4 owners should use the Apogee UV-22HR plugin, but you only have the UV-22, so use that, and start with the default settings.
d) Set your left and right locators correctly at the beginning and end of the 24 bit stereo file you wish to export, and in the Export dialogue, choose .wav, 16 bit, stereo interleaved.
Hope this, along with the info the others have supplied will help. Not sure why dithering etc. is not covered in your manual; it is in the SX and C4 manuals....................frank

--------------------end

Have to look into the whole dithering thing (trying not to be a dithering idiot)
Never tried a plug in for going to 16bits.
Veeerrrry Interesting.



Offline Cary

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Great !!! Now I'm confused again.  ::)
Understandably so.
Dither is a whole separate topic and is better discussed in its own thread.
http://www.musicianscollaboration.com/forum/index.php?topic=1121.0
« Last Edit: December 14, 2006, 10:52:28 AM by Cary »
Cary


 

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