Hi guys!
A simple question…
When you use the GREAT function “render in place” 
Cubase converts, for example, a virtual instrument, from its 64bit working environment to a 24bit audio file, do you apply the dithering before this process?
If so, wouldn’t it be useful to always keep a dithering plugin in the last slot on the main out? on the other hand, even when listening, our converters send an audio signal truncated from 64bit to 24bit (D / A) to the speakers.
What do you think about it??
Unless you always select “complete signal path + master FX” in the render in place dialog, a dither plugin in the last slot of the master bus won’t do you any good (but wouldn’t hurt either)
And if you are really worried about signal degradation (I personally doubt that I can hear 64/32 bit to 24bit truncation), why don’t you just render to 32bit float?
…or even just put a dithering plugin on the track to be rendered.
For the dithering on the master bus (or on the main out of the control room, in insert, in my case after sonarworks) it was also intended for listening during the mixing phase, before the D/A conversion
Does dithering make a difference?
If your music includes wide, natural dynamics, proper dithering can indeed give a sweeter, smoother sound free of digital quantization distortion when you downsize to 16 bits .
Should I use dithering in mastering?
Save dithering for when your files are headed outside of your DAW. Dither only once—during export. If you’re sending your files for mastering, leave dithering out if you can export 32-bit float files . In this case, the mastering process will take care of dither for you.
Actually, when doing RENDER IN PLACE, it generates a 32 bit file, if selected in the Render settings (as it does when using FREEZE). So the noisefloor is theoritically at -192 dB…
Also have in mind, that Dithering introduced NOISE, so if you have a lot of tracks, it might sum up inconveniently. From where I stand, I´d prefer without dithering.
In fact I made this post precisely because I feel the difference in a render of a master with or without dithering and I work at 24bit (hey many years of work here eh! I’m not really a kid: D) and I was wondering if it was not necessary to apply it at any point where a D / A conversion takes place
I’ll ask the same question to a couple of friends mastering engineers.
excellent observation that of the sum of the noise
32bit files are too heavy to handle in my opinion
According to Hugh Robjohns, technical editor at SOS, dithering should be applied whenever there is a reduction in word length.
It’s not to do with D to A conversion.
I would think though that the cost of not dithering (in terms of distortion) is totally negligible if you render in place to 32 bit.