Inserted the Sonar bitmeter plugin on a song and flipped from 16,24 to floating.
blind testing 5 times in a row picked floating as best sounding (not a huge difference and only hearing it on studio headphones).
Can't get this bitmeter floating effect applied anyway unfortunately (tried on exporting and bouncing to clip), I know it's just a monitoring plugin but still would like to try floating.
Anyone know if it's possible to control this in or outside Sonar ?

What do you mean "applied"? It only tells you what bits are being used. If you recorded at 16 bit bit depth than that is the bit depth of the file. Changing the project to 32 bit floating point will not change that. Its still 16 bits in a 32 bit file. Nor can you hear it. No audio interface supports 32 bit audio. 

bitmeter is not an effect. It's just a meter that does not change the audio in any way.

thanks John
just hearing a little sound improvement when I flip it to 'float' and I'd like to use that effect.
(I've tested it blind 5 times so quite sure the plugin must do something).
Just hoping for some ideas on how to control / test floating vs not-floating in Sonar or elsewhere.
 
 

Maybe you're hearing the latency caused by the plugin?

Wouter Schijns
thanks John
just hearing a little sound improvement when I flip it to 'float' and I'd like to use that effect.
(I've tested it blind 5 times so quite sure the plugin must do something).
Just hoping for some ideas on how to control / test floating vs not-floating in Sonar or elsewhere.
 
 

It does nothing. It only informs you what bits are being used.  Thats it. It was introduced by CW a while back from their own internal testing tools. It is not an effect. 

best way to describe it I can find is, floating sounds more open, free using all the space where 24 bit sounds as if it's locked up....it's just a little difference I can only hear on headphones.
just wondering as the plugin is there to tell you the difference between the formats, yet I don't know how to set them..
 

Its a per project thing. There is no reason to change it in mid stream. You can render at 32 bits FP. What you are actually hearing maybe dithering. 

As far as I am aware there is no dithering on the bitmeter plugin (or any metering plugin).

John thanks again....couldn't find anything related in Preferences or export dialog box, so it must be Sonar is always floating which seems best/standard.
Just thought I found a cheap/quick sound booster  
Better I not buy lottery tickets this week.