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Garthrr
 
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Default 16 bit vs 24 bit, 44.1khz vs 48 khz <-- please explain

Ok, considering the post below, then the question is "Where is the disagreement
between the two camps-- the one camp who says 16 bit is as good as 24 bit for
anything but very, very low level audio and the other camp that says 24 bit is
better even at higher recording levels? Where is the point at which the two
camps begin to disagree?

Garth~


In article , Justin Ulysses
Morse writes:

Yes. For the sake of discussion, let's say you have a thousand dollars
in either dimes or pennies.
Now, say you're going to make a single purchase of something that costs
$1.87. At 16 bits, you're forced to tell the clerk to "keep the
change" because all you have are dimes. No big deal, you're out $0.03.
You'll never miss it. Most of us wouldn't bother stooping to pick up
three pennies. But suppose you're going around town buying a whole
bunch of different things, and every time you do, you have to say,
"keep the change." Eventually, it starts to add up and you wish you
had some pennies.

Suppose you record live to 2-track at 16 bits and you just make a
single "transaction" where you maybe run an EQ, a gain boost, and a
little peak limiting all in one pass. You're using 24-bit DSP but you
have to stuff the result back into a 16-bit package. Not a real big
deal, your "clerk" rings you up and says that'll be $45.58. You only
have to say "keep the change" once.

But now what if you've got a bunch of different processes to run,
incrementally, that you evaluate before you move on to the next
process? Maybe you're multi-tracking and you're processing each track
differently. There's all kinds of "keep the change" adding up. In
fact, it's not only "adding up" but it's also "multiplying up." The
error in your first process will get multiplied in your next step. I
guess that would be something like if you bought 1000 of something that
should cost $0.13 apiece but since you're paying in dimes you're paying
$0.20 apiece. Suddenly you're out $70. Your accountant is gonna be
****ed.

This is why more processing means you should start with more bits. But
you know, decimal places on a calculator is probably a better analogy.
Should I start again?

ulysses






"I think the fact that music can come up a wire is a miracle."
Ed Cherney