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Just wondering as I am having trouble getting my soundcard to switch sample rates.... though I am not sure if it's that or my program or computer doing it, trying to figure it out and it's really got me pissed. Anyways, Is it best to work in a higher sample/bit rate and convert down when finished? I always assumed so, but was wondering if it even matters.

16 bit is fine,

24bit
44,100Hz

16bit is shit
Sure the majority of CDs use 16bit but if you were to a digital release why limit the quality of your audio and downgrade any 24bit samples?

44.1/24bit if i can help it. I've worked a bit at 96k; for actual instruments, it can make a difference, but for your basic electronic tune-- not worth the extra file size.

well of course 16 bit is of a less quality than 24 but surely 16 bit its good enough if your using quality samples.

plus just one thing, can you realy pick up on the diffrence between the two? Limits to the human ear and overall production quality?

24 bit 48khz really. although i do export some stuff at 32bit.

16bit is actually less steps than the human dynamic range of hearing, so if you turn it up enough it will sound worse . 24 bit is way way beyond the human range of hearing.

with higher sample rates, the main difference you will notice is more crispness/clarity in the high end. they reckon that much above 96khz is pretty much impossible to tell the difference between.

Botched wrote:well of course 16 bit is of a less quality than 24 but surely 16 bit its good enough if your using quality samples.

plus just one thing, can you realy pick up on the diffrence between the two? Limits to the human ear and overall production quality?

yeah i can tell the difference on a nice pair of speakers or headphones. Why limit yourself if your mac/pc can do 24bit?

Botched wrote:well of course 16 bit is of a less quality than 24 but surely 16 bit its good enough if your using quality samples.

plus just one thing, can you realy pick up on the diffrence between the two? Limits to the human ear and overall production quality?

24 bit is important because all youre processing (level changes, vsts etc) will be done at 24 bit. makes a big difference.

ie if you have a track turned down low you will have far more resolution at low levels at 24 bit that 16 bit. also reverb tails, delays.....

I work at 24/44k. Sometimes bounce out at 88k (vst synths are better at higher samplerates) but dont work at this rate due to extra processing demands.

Dam nice one lads,,

All this time iv been thinking 16 bit is fine Haha, 24 bit it is then

I still like some of my drum parts in 8 bit, for that extra degredation..

yeah 8bit (or whatever) for effect is obviously fine. but if you want the cleanest mix possible, use 24 bit.

24bit
44,100Hz

what about 44100 32bit? My card is stuck at that for some reason. I'm gonna try installing my program on my other computer and see if it's my computer giving me the issue, then I'll know a bit more to maybe what's going on, I think I have a driver issue, at least that's what the m-audio tech support seems to think.

44.1/24bit

standard

the advantage of higher sample rates for non acoustic instruments is that aliasing filters will be far higher, out of the audible range, meaning less savage filters, and much lower chance of ailising.

how much its noticeable is debatable, and dependent on how well programmed the anti aliasing filter s are in whatever synth/effect you're using.

24/48

Paradigm X wrote:the advantage of higher sample rates for non acoustic instruments is that aliasing filters will be far higher, out of the audible range, meaning less savage filters, and much lower chance of ailising.

how much its noticeable is debatable, and dependent on how well programmed the anti aliasing filter s are in whatever synth/effect you're using.

Quite right old chap.


To the poster who said his card is saying 32-bit - it's working at 24, there aren't any 32-bit DA or AD convertors on the market (or at least, none I have heard of, non commercially available etc etc).

One factor to bear in mind with high sample rates is the issue of accuracy. Having a higher sample rate will extend the frequency response of the system/allow the anti-aliasing filters to be higher, but taking so many more samples per second increases the relative jitter of the system. It's a tradeoff. In your average consumer soundcard there's not much point (IMO) going beyond 44.1 - more numbers don't necessarily mean better. A high end convertor will sound better at 44.1 than a consumer thing at 96k.

Further to this, if working entirely in the box and ending up on CD, it makes more sense (to me, IMHO etc) to save a load of disk space and avoid sample rate conversions as far as possible.

24/44.1 here for making tunes, mastering depends.


EDIT: it is bit DEPTH by the way. Bit rate refers to data transmission speed, not resolution (sorry to be pedantic)

24bit 96khz, that sampling rate make's a difference (better dynamics). You can get 32bit 192khz stuff now, def reccomended a look in if you're not gonna do analog (which is as better as the universe is real)

Is dithering needed only when I go from 24 bit back to 16 bit after mix and mastering is done?

Macc wrote:

Paradigm X wrote:the advantage of higher sample rates for non acoustic instruments is that aliasing filters will be far higher, out of the audible range, meaning less savage filters, and much lower chance of ailising.

how much its noticeable is debatable, and dependent on how well programmed the anti aliasing filter s are in whatever synth/effect you're using.

Quite right old chap.


To the poster who said his card is saying 32-bit - it's working at 24, there aren't any 32-bit DA or AD convertors on the market (or at least, none I have heard of, non commercially available etc etc).

One factor to bear in mind with high sample rates is the issue of accuracy. Having a higher sample rate will extend the frequency response of the system/allow the anti-aliasing filters to be higher, but taking so many more samples per second increases the relative jitter of the system. It's a tradeoff. In your average consumer soundcard there's not much point (IMO) going beyond 44.1 - more numbers don't necessarily mean better. A high end convertor will sound better at 44.1 than a consumer thing at 96k.

Further to this, if working entirely in the box and ending up on CD, it makes more sense (to me, IMHO etc) to save a load of disk space and avoid sample rate conversions as far as possible.

24/44.1 here for making tunes, mastering depends.


EDIT: it is bit DEPTH by the way. Bit rate refers to data transmission speed, not resolution (sorry to be pedantic)

well there may not be any card that supports 32 bit, but that is what my DAW is saying where it is at, unless it is just saying it is wrong, dunno.....

Oh, and if you send it out to be mastered, you would recommend 44100 24bit then right?