32 bit in Pro Tools will I get unclippled sound?

[Rockman413]

Hi,
I understand that it is 32 bit floating inside both pro tools& Vienna Ensemble Pro, and 32 bit floating provides a much more headroom.

Will I record clipped sound on my master Pro Tools in 32 bit floating mode if slave machine’s :
1. VE pro’s channel is “red”, over 0 db?
2. VE pro’s channle is red(over 0 db) and the channel of kontakt 5 inside ve pro, is also red(over 0 db) meaning , does the kontakt connects ve pro at 32 bit float?
3. When I'm doing the recording, even it's too loud and I will get distroted/clippe drecording in 24 bit mode, but in 32 bit float point mode in pt, I will get over 0 db red but undistroed recording, and I just clip gain reduce it then I get undistroted sound?


VE pro sends the audio in digital via ethernet as a lot of people knows.


Thanks!

[Craig F]

I can't say other than it sounds like your recording to hot, back it off 6dB at least

[Rockman413]

Then what's the point of using 32 bit float?

[JFreak]

If you record via AD converter, that's going to be 24bit fixed and will clip just the same way than before. However if you record stuff from virtual instruments that output 32bit float, you have virtually unlimited headroom. And if something shows red you can adjust levels using clip gain and the clipping is gone.

[Carl Kolchak]

Then what's the point of using 32 bit float?


You understand that 1+1=2, and 2+2=4?

The whole point is summing signals together.


The more signals you add together, the louder it will be. If your only way of preventing an overload, is to lower the signal levels, then you're putting it closer to the noise floor.

Moving from 16Bit to 24Bit increased the headroom, and lowered the noise floor. If you're summing 24Bit signals together, it helps to have something like a 48Bit fixed point summing mixer, or at least a 32Bit floating point summing mixer.

Whilst the 32Bit floating point mixer will clip sooner than the 48Bit mixer, none of that clipping in the 32Bit mixer is permanently destructive, as the signal can be pulled back to within the "clean" dynamic range, and the clipping is gone.

These days, nobody is making hit records with only 4 tracks. Few have been making hit records with less than 24 tracks since the early 90's.

You can see that as track counts increased, the need for a more powerful summing mixer followed suit.

Given todays track counts for a humble pop song, never mind a Film mix, you can see why a 48Bit fixed point mixer, and even a 32Bit floating point mixer, are too restrictive.

That's why Pro Tools HDX has a 64Bit floating point mixer (non-HD is still a 32Bit summing mixer, which given the track count, and intended target market, is ample).

What you need to do is track at sensible levels.

The odd stray peak as high as about -12dBFS is absolutely fine, but you want to keep a more consistent signal down around -18 to -14dBFS.