Importing cd tracks into an audio montage limited to 16bit?

WaveLab
1

Hey guys,

I’m trying to import tracks from an audio cd directly into an audio montage. I open the Import Audio CD dialogue, make my settings and click on “Convert to Audio Montage”. But no matter which bit depth I try (32 bit, 32 bit float, 64 bit), I always get 16 bit files (I’m using the standard Wave format). Does anybody have similar problems? Oh, and if I don’t import the tracks into an audio montage by just selecting them and clicking “Save”, everything works perfectly.
I’m using WL8.0.2 on Win764bit.

2

The fact is that audio from an Audio CD IS on that CD in 16 bits 44.1 kHz format - simply the standard. When you click ‘save’ directly and save as 24 or 32 bit files, you are simply adding zero bits to the 16 that contain data.

3

However, once you start manipulating the audio in any way, it will use those extra bits, which you should then keep until you render into the final version of some new form - but you do not need to use a longer format for the original files if you never write back a destructive edit to them, making all your changes in the montage.

4

Correct, pwhodges. Can you recreate the problem on your end?

5

Both Arjan and pwhodges are correct. Your observation is quite normal, there is no problem.

6

Thanks PG, but if I tell WaveLab to create 32bit files and it creates 16 bit files instead, there definitely is as problem.

7

No. The samples are still 16 bit, even if you put them in 32 bit “containers”.

8

Absolutely correct, PG. Of course the sample data is still 16 bit sitting in a 32 bit container - that’s not what I’m talking about. The problem is: I cannot create 32 bit “containers”. I can easily create 32bit files (containers) by clicking on the “Save” button but not when clicking on the “Convert To Audio Montage” button in the same dialogue. That’s the problem.

9

I can easily create 32bit files (containers) by clicking on the “Save” button but not when clicking on the “Convert To Audio Montage” button in the same dialogue. That’s the problem.

That’s an optimization: there is absolutly no reason WaveLab would create 32 files in this case. That would be a lost of disk space with no advantage.

10

Thanks for clarifying this, PG. So it’s not a bug but intended behavior. To be honest: I’m not sure if it’s the most elegant solution because it can cause confusion but I see the point in doing it that way. Personally I’ll choose the manual route then and create 32bit files via the Save button and import these into an Audio Montage, just to be 100% sure I don’t get any truncation when making destructive edits in special situations.

11

The montage uses the data that it is linked to, and its working files have the precision required in any situation. No data is ever truncated by WaveLab unless you tell it to. By making the source files 32-bit even though the data contained in them is 16-bit you are (1) giving yourself extra work to no effect, (2) using extra storage for no purpose, and (3) causing the montage extra work (by a miniscule amount, admittedly) by giving it bigger files to read the same data from. All to generate the exact same result.