64-bit double precision engine?

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jazzwombat
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2013/09/14 08:34:33 (permalink)

64-bit double precision engine?

I've been exploring Sonar X1, and under Prefs/Audio/Driver Settings/ I noticed an unchecked "64-bit Double Precision Engine" box. What is this, and (more important) does checking it gain any benefit in terms of audio quality?
 
Thank you for your replies.
 
Bob aka jazzwombat
 
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    gswitz
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    Re: 64-bit double precision engine? 2013/09/14 09:08:58 (permalink)
    Check it and leave it checked.
     
    It's kinda a blow back to back when processors weren't as strong as they are now.
     
    The only time to uncheck it is if you are having significant problems using Sonar. It would be a step in debugging.

    StudioCat > I use Windows 10 and Sonar Platinum. I have a touch screen.
    I make some videos. This one shows how to do a physical loopback on the RME UCX to get many more equalizer nodes.
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    drewfx1
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    Re: 64-bit double precision engine? 2013/09/14 11:32:35 (permalink)
    jazzwombat
    I've been exploring Sonar X1, and under Prefs/Audio/Driver Settings/ I noticed an unchecked "64-bit Double Precision Engine" box. What is this, and (more important) does checking it gain any benefit in terms of audio quality?



    It does calculations with more precision - think more decimal places. 
     
    The quality is unfortunately a controversial question, but those of us who can do math, and also bother to do quantitative testing on stuff like this, will tell you that any errors will never accumulate to a degree that will be audible in the real world.
     
    So the answer is it really doesn't make any difference if you leave it checked or unchecked.

     In order, then, to discover the limit of deepest tones, it is necessary not only to produce very violent agitations in the air but to give these the form of simple pendular vibrations. - Hermann von Helmholtz, predicting the role of the electric bassist in 1877.
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    Living Room Rocker
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    Re: 64-bit double precision engine? 2013/09/14 12:41:18 (permalink)
    Further to drewfx1's post, using the 64bit processing may not produce and audible difference; however, 64bit processing can help eliminate artifacts introduced during effect and synth signal flow.  That is were the longer word count (the "decimal places" drewfx1 alluded to) comes in handy.
     
    Kind regards,
     
    Living Room Rocker.
    post edited by Living Room Rocker - 2013/09/14 13:23:57
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    gswitz
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    Re: 64-bit double precision engine? 2013/09/14 13:03:25 (permalink)
    www.cakewalk.com/Support/kb/reader.aspx/2005278

    StudioCat > I use Windows 10 and Sonar Platinum. I have a touch screen.
    I make some videos. This one shows how to do a physical loopback on the RME UCX to get many more equalizer nodes.
    #5
    Living Room Rocker
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    Re: 64-bit double precision engine? 2013/09/14 13:32:42 (permalink)
    It's all about signal processing... not debugging, i.e., "greater resolution...accurate audio reproduction...more headroom."  Clipping, for instance, is not a problem introduced by a bug, but a signal which is greater than capacity of the processor, so to speak.
     
    Kind regards,
     
    Living Room Rocker
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    drewfx1
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    Re: 64-bit double precision engine? 2013/09/14 15:02:08 (permalink)
    gswitz
    www.cakewalk.com/Support/kb/reader.aspx/2005278

     
    Just so people can put CW's claims into context:
     
    When they say, "Your chances of clipping will be significantly reduced", note that while strictly speaking this is true, 32bit single precision already will not clip until you are hundreds of dB's above 0dbFS. 
     
    I think the fact that they are even claiming this is a benefit speaks for itself.
     
    In this context you might consider when they say, "large projects containing many audio tracks and plugs-ins" and ask, "How large? How many?".

     In order, then, to discover the limit of deepest tones, it is necessary not only to produce very violent agitations in the air but to give these the form of simple pendular vibrations. - Hermann von Helmholtz, predicting the role of the electric bassist in 1877.
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    dmbaer
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    Re: 64-bit double precision engine? 2013/09/14 15:17:24 (permalink)
    jazzwombat
    I've been exploring Sonar X1, and under Prefs/Audio/Driver Settings/ I noticed an unchecked "64-bit Double Precision Engine" box. What is this, and (more important) does checking it gain any benefit in terms of audio quality?
     



    Depending on how much time you want to devote to understanding this, here's a link to a tutorial I wrote that goes into this topic in a fair amount of detail:
     
    http://soundbyte.arsov.net/Wordpress/2013/07/15/ofdigitalbitsanddecibels/
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