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Author Topic: 16 bit files 24 bit processing....questions...  (Read 1733 times)

zakco

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16 bit files 24 bit processing....questions...
« on: January 08, 2007, 07:47:54 PM »

Hi All,

My apologies if this is a little OT in a mastering forum, but you folks know more about bitrate/dithering than anyone else I can think of so...my question:

I've just finished mixing a project that was recorded elsewhere. All files were 16 bit sources. Out of habit, I set up the mix projects as 24 bit in my DAW and proceeded to mix the album. Now...when it comes to rendering the raw 2track mixes, I'm questioning whether I should create 24 bit files.  

Will plugins gain anything from functioning in a 24 bit project or am I simply padding the files with zeros?

OR...would downgrading the project to 16 bit and avoiding the need for dither later be a wiser decision?

Any advice you may have would be appreciated.

Thanks,

-Z-

djwaudio

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Re: 16 bit files 24 bit processing....questions...
« Reply #1 on: January 08, 2007, 08:20:42 PM »

Any dsp (levels, EQ, effects, mixing etc.) done to a sound file will result in longer wordlengths. I suggest retaining that additional information by rendering to a 24 bit file.

Of coarse, what matters is how it sounds. Tell us what you hear when doing it both ways.

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Respectfully submitted,
Dana

Dana J. White
specializedmastering.com



bblackwood

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Re: 16 bit files 24 bit processing....questions...
« Reply #2 on: January 08, 2007, 09:40:06 PM »

Hi Zac, nice to see you again.

I'd render to 24 - any processing will generate longer words and any noise/quantization error issues should be further down.

Don't know if the difference will be audible or not, but it certainly can't hurt to open it up tp 24 bit...
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Brad Blackwood
euphonic masters

zakco

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Re: 16 bit files 24 bit processing....questions...
« Reply #3 on: January 08, 2007, 10:20:21 PM »

Thanks for the replies guys...that kind of confirms my suspicions, and I WILL do an a/b with at least one of the tracks to see if I can actually HEAR the difference and report back.

Cheers!~

-Z-

 

zakco

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Re: 16 bit files 24 bit processing....questions...
« Reply #4 on: January 12, 2007, 02:05:50 PM »

Well, I tried printing the mix both ways on 2 different songs. The first was upbeat, relatively dry and fairly dense. The second was a sparse moody track with a fair amount of reverb (by my standards).

Monitoring was Dynaudio BM15As and Sennheiser HD580 cans.

On the denser/drier track I couldn't tell any differnce at all on the monitors or the headphones. However, on the sparse/wet track I think I could hear more detail and less grain on the reverb tails when I listened on the Senns. That subtlety was inaudible on the dynaudios though.

Not a scientific test of any kind and it could have been my imagination too...

Anyways, thanks for the replies.

-Z-

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