In an attempt to break out of my rote habit of using a personal template, I started a new project using a Hub template. I didn’t check the Project Setup however, and so I didn’t notice the recorded audio sample rate was 16 bit (I usually record at 24 bit, that is the last time I ever try to do something new ).
I recorded at sensible levels, peaking about -10 to -12 dBFS. So I was wondering … what are the situations where I might later wish I had recorded at 24 bit? Am I missing any information (maybe volume)? Would expansion (down, or up) be different, for example? Or is it all the same in this particular case?
As you can see, I’m not really sure about this 16- vs 24-bit thing, I think I get it mixed up with another use of the word “bit” in audio engineering … thanks for any schooling!
Edit: Thanks for the great article. I guess with a higher noise floor, I might run into trouble if I used an expander on my low volume sounds … or is that probably just theoretical?
Quite the opposite, if you use a compressor or a limiter, you might raise the noise level. Whether that is noticeable depends on lots of factors. Most likely the room, mic or preamp noise you recorded with the signal is louder than the quantization noise anyway…
But just try it out and see whether it is a problem to your ears.
Yes, I think that noise will be louder than the noise floor! Well see when i start the real mixing … and I’ll keep that in mind when compressing (And adding make up gain).
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