Neel1
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24 or 16 bit??? what is yr choice???
I am always recording my music in 16 bit, with view to burn the songs as audio cds....But these days it's becoming very common for artists to release their music as DVD audio or SACD......Very soon, I'll be installing my DVD RW which will allow be to write DVD audio. And that would be a fantastic move forward for me....Especially since I am in electronic music, better resolution always meant better sound....
I am very excited about this...Having a dvd-drive will also allow me to back up my project so as to take less space on my hard drive with audio files... Recording in 24 bit will also mean more bulky files...
In what resolution are u recording? Please tell me about it!
The new album of my favourite band Depeche Mode will also be released very soon as a 5.1 mix with 24 bit resolution, first studio album from them to be released as such...It's high time I follow the same path!!
"Step out of your cage and onto the stage It's time to start playing your part" Model: Intel Pentium OS: Windows 7 Professional CPU:i7-2600 CPU @3.40 GHZ Memory: 8.00 GB (2 X 4GB) System type: 64 bit operating system M-Audio Products: Profire 2626 (5.10.0.5082 1.0.8.1 driver), Sonar 8.5, Cubase 5, Reason 4 Model: Macbook Pro
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m11
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RE: 24 or 16 bit??? what is yr choice???
2005/08/05 07:21:14
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24bit because of the headroom. Dithering down for CD when ready.
I see no need for DVD audio for me now.
Greets
Melf
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slundstrom
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RE: 24 or 16 bit??? what is yr choice???
2005/08/05 07:31:10
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I'm using 24 bit, but only because I reccord using input monitoring and with 24 bit I achieve a lower latency. I don't don't know why this is, I would assume recording 24 bit would result in higher latency since it must be using more resource during recording and playback? IS this common?
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daverich
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RE: 24 or 16 bit??? what is yr choice???
2005/08/05 08:00:35
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24bit all the way here.
There is no reason at all to work in 16bit these days unless you have a really old soundcard which doesn't do 24bit.
Kind regards
Dave Rich
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chaz
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RE: 24 or 16 bit??? what is yr choice???
2005/08/05 08:01:22
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Junski
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RE: 24 or 16 bit??? what is yr choice???
2005/08/05 08:17:51
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<deleted by the poster>
post edited by Junski - 2006/01/14 02:49:38
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LoopJunkie
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RE: 24 or 16 bit??? what is yr choice???
2005/08/05 08:17:57
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24. Dither to 16 as final step.
loop 
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fac
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RE: 24 or 16 bit??? what is yr choice???
2005/08/05 08:29:02
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ORIGINAL: LoopJunkie
24. Dither to 16 as final step.
Me too.
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Neel1
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RE: 24 or 16 bit??? what is yr choice???
2005/08/05 08:36:50
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May I ask you what is the size of your bundle Sonar files for projects recorded in 24 bit?
It must be big. Let me know the size for say, a song with 24-25 tracks. My projects take approx 1.5 G (the big ones in 16 bits!!). How big can it get with 24 bit??
"Step out of your cage and onto the stage It's time to start playing your part" Model: Intel Pentium OS: Windows 7 Professional CPU:i7-2600 CPU @3.40 GHZ Memory: 8.00 GB (2 X 4GB) System type: 64 bit operating system M-Audio Products: Profire 2626 (5.10.0.5082 1.0.8.1 driver), Sonar 8.5, Cubase 5, Reason 4 Model: Macbook Pro
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Junski
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RE: 24 or 16 bit??? what is yr choice???
2005/08/05 08:38:29
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<deleted by the poster>
post edited by Junski - 2006/01/14 02:49:51
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av1611
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RE: 24 or 16 bit??? what is yr choice???
2005/08/05 08:40:08
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ORIGINAL: Neel1
My projects take approx 1.5 G (the big ones in 16 bits!!). How big can it get with 24 bit??
Big! Later
Mat 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
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m11
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RE: 24 or 16 bit??? what is yr choice???
2005/08/05 09:41:42
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ORIGINAL: Neel1
May I ask you what is the size of your bundle Sonar files for projects recorded in 24 bit?
It must be big. Let me know the size for say, a song with 24-25 tracks. My projects take approx 1.5 G (the big ones in 16 bits!!). How big can it get with 24 bit??
1.5G x 1.5 = 2.25G
post edited by m11 - 2005/08/05 12:47:47
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scook
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RE: 24 or 16 bit??? what is yr choice???
2005/08/05 09:55:10
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24 bit for all the aforementioned reasons. Does the size of the project really matter?
I do dither to 16bit for CD.
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Neel1
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RE: 24 or 16 bit??? what is yr choice???
2005/08/05 09:57:46
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Can you 'tell' how much this 'Dithering to 16 as final step' would affect on quality (tone, dynamics, stereo 'image', instrument separation and placement, etc.)? Couple of bits are leaving, though. I'm also asking myself that question, although it won't be an issue for me very soon. I was recording in 24 bit when I first started working with Sonar, but then I noted that my hard drive of 80 GB was filling up very quickly. I changed it to 16 bit after reading the book SOnar 2.2 Power of Garrigus. In the setting up chapter, he recommended setting to 16 bit if one intends to burn audio cds in the end with the music. But I did note a significant difference of quality of sound between 16 bit and 24 bit even on the cd itself. Now I think recording in 24 bit in the first place is better even if the music ultimately ends on audio cd!!
"Step out of your cage and onto the stage It's time to start playing your part" Model: Intel Pentium OS: Windows 7 Professional CPU:i7-2600 CPU @3.40 GHZ Memory: 8.00 GB (2 X 4GB) System type: 64 bit operating system M-Audio Products: Profire 2626 (5.10.0.5082 1.0.8.1 driver), Sonar 8.5, Cubase 5, Reason 4 Model: Macbook Pro
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fac
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RE: 24 or 16 bit??? what is yr choice???
2005/08/05 09:58:26
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EDIT: Nevermind 
post edited by fac - 2005/08/05 13:09:31
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Dickie
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RE: 24 or 16 bit??? what is yr choice???
2005/08/05 10:00:45
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Again... 24bit dithering down to 16bit for CD
Seems like a recuring theme here !!
Dickie
There are only 10 types of people in the world: Those who understand binary, and those who don't.
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ohhey
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RE: 24 or 16 bit??? what is yr choice???
2005/08/05 10:14:45
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24 bit until the final mastering is done. There is a clear difference in depth and soundstage over 16 bit and it's well worth it. This is way more important then higher sample rates. I'd rather track at 44.1 24 bit then 96k 16bit. Moving from 16 bit to 24 bit was the most important jump in digital audio it sounds more like analog tape.
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Neel1
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RE: 24 or 16 bit??? what is yr choice???
2005/08/05 10:20:00
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What do u mean by "dither"? When you place a 24 bit audio file inside a burning software like Nero, it automatically converts it to 16 bit? Or should there be a special treatment before burning the file??
"Step out of your cage and onto the stage It's time to start playing your part" Model: Intel Pentium OS: Windows 7 Professional CPU:i7-2600 CPU @3.40 GHZ Memory: 8.00 GB (2 X 4GB) System type: 64 bit operating system M-Audio Products: Profire 2626 (5.10.0.5082 1.0.8.1 driver), Sonar 8.5, Cubase 5, Reason 4 Model: Macbook Pro
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Guest
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RE: 24 or 16 bit??? what is yr choice???
2005/08/05 10:21:02
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Moving from 16 bit to 24 bit was the most important jump in digital audio it sounds more like analog tape. frank is right on .. just make sure you've got your dither turned on in the Options->Audio dialog. Dither doesn't just chunk down to 16 bits, it gives the acoustic perception of 19 bits .. which is a pretty cool tradeoff. jeff
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Guest
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RE: 24 or 16 bit??? what is yr choice???
2005/08/05 10:26:26
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What do u mean by "dither"? When you place a 24 bit audio file inside a burning software like Nero, it automatically converts it to 16 bit? you'll want to dither your .wav files to 44.1/16 before burning your discs. dither doesn't just truncate from 24 to 16 .. it plays noise games to give a perception of higher bit quantization. in Sonar, when you save it out, just change the bit depth to 16 (in the File->Export->Audio dialog) and make sure your dither is turned on .. (POW-R dither is the way to go). If you don't have S4PE, then there are other packages and plug-ins which will dither (SoundForge, Waves IDR, Ozone, etc.). As Frank said, reduce bit rate as the very last thing you do. I don't trust the burning software to do it for me unless I know which dithering algorithm it's using.... jeff
post edited by jmarkham - 2005/08/05 10:32:24
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Sbax
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RE: 24 or 16 bit??? what is yr choice???
2005/08/05 10:40:16
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Not to hijack this post but SACD and DVD-Audio sounds amazing. For me it is the benchmark for digital sound quality outside a pro studio and best of all you can do your own mixes (in a manner of speaking). I find that I adjust the mix according to the album. For example, last night I listened to Fragile by Yes where I turned up the rear surround louder than the front but with Gabriel's new CD Up I like the center speaker predominant. For ELP's Brain Salad Surgery I like all speakers to be equal. Since the 5.1 format requires the original multitrack tapes they usually fix up and sweeten the individual tracks using modern eqipment AND the artist is usually involved with the mixing process. Townshead actually was the one who re-mixed Tommy for 5.1 and considering his hearing problem it sounds great.
Sonar 6 PE RME Fireface 800 Athlon 64 3000 Asus K8V SE Deluxe
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Neel1
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RE: 24 or 16 bit??? what is yr choice???
2005/08/05 10:42:20
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THanks to all of you. This discussion has been very helpful to me!!!
"Step out of your cage and onto the stage It's time to start playing your part" Model: Intel Pentium OS: Windows 7 Professional CPU:i7-2600 CPU @3.40 GHZ Memory: 8.00 GB (2 X 4GB) System type: 64 bit operating system M-Audio Products: Profire 2626 (5.10.0.5082 1.0.8.1 driver), Sonar 8.5, Cubase 5, Reason 4 Model: Macbook Pro
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patrickhamm
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RE: 24 or 16 bit??? what is yr choice???
2005/08/05 10:43:04
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May I ask you what is the size of your bundle Sonar files for projects recorded in 24 bit? don't know. don't use bundles. Haven't for years. Not since I started using "Per Project Audio Folders". Of course, those Folders are huge. oh, and I use 24-bit...
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Neel1
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RE: 24 or 16 bit??? what is yr choice???
2005/08/05 11:14:19
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Not to hijack this post but SACD and DVD-Audio sounds amazing. For me it is the benchmark for digital sound quality outside a pro studio I am sure of that...Me too, I think it will be a different experience to listen to my favourite band- Depeche Mode- in 5.1 in October this year!!! I know that new version of Sonar 4 PE fully embraces surround technology. I'll be exploring this soon!!
"Step out of your cage and onto the stage It's time to start playing your part" Model: Intel Pentium OS: Windows 7 Professional CPU:i7-2600 CPU @3.40 GHZ Memory: 8.00 GB (2 X 4GB) System type: 64 bit operating system M-Audio Products: Profire 2626 (5.10.0.5082 1.0.8.1 driver), Sonar 8.5, Cubase 5, Reason 4 Model: Macbook Pro
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scook
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RE: 24 or 16 bit??? what is yr choice???
2005/08/05 11:16:11
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Yes, do not use bundles. They are more trouble than they are worth.
Do use "Per Project Audio Folders." Much easier to handle and backup.
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PCODE
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RE: 24 or 16 bit??? what is yr choice???
2005/08/05 11:40:44
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what's 16bit? 
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scook
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RE: 24 or 16 bit??? what is yr choice???
2005/08/05 11:46:43
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ORIGINAL: PCODE
what's 16bit?
4 nibbles or 2 bytes, the word size of the encoding on a CD.
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b3gsus@msn.com
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RE: 24 or 16 bit??? what is yr choice???
2005/08/05 11:48:37
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We use them to Control our Horses only I use 24 Bits! Wildman what's 16bit?
Wildman,,aka,,,"Nick Danger" Studiocat Core2Quad Q9550 w/P45 Cset XP-Pro Sonar Pro 8, 2 FF 800, Wclock, Avalon VT-737, Focusrite V Master,Eureka, 2-LA-4s, Neumann U87,TLM-103,Rode NTK,MCU,Event SP8s, DynAudio BM5As VS-2480 4 DA88 2-Mackie 24/8buss
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prog_head
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RE: 24 or 16 bit??? what is yr choice???
2005/08/05 12:30:07
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24bit 88.2k. Both are equally important. If your ears are not damaged and you can hear to 20k, you will notice a MASSIVE difference. At least once you grow accustomed to it. I seriously find it hard to listen to CDs in a good listening environment because of the glaring deficiencies (16bit/44.1k). In the car or a portable it is fine, but in my studio, no way. The sound is so much more pure because of both 14bits AND 88.2k. In fact, I know of studies, and I did my own comparison, that says 16bit 96k is better than 24bit 48k. I know others will argue but 'facts is facts'. I do both because my music is worth it (otherwise, why would I be doing it? :) )
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m11
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RE: 24 or 16 bit??? what is yr choice???
2005/08/05 12:46:02
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ORIGINAL: fac
ORIGINAL: m11
ORIGINAL: Neel1
May I ask you what is the size of your bundle Sonar files for projects recorded in 24 bit?
It must be big. Let me know the size for say, a song with 24-25 tracks. My projects take approx 1.5 G (the big ones in 16 bits!!). How big can it get with 24 bit??
1.5G x 1.5 = 2.25G
Why 1.66? 24 bits are only 50% more than 16 bits.
Should be 1.5G x 1.5 = 2.25 G.
Who said 1.66? Look at my post! OK you're right of course. My head must have been somewhere else when I wrote that. Never mind Melf
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