16 or 24 bit temps for mastering.... which?

[cane]

Hi,
Sorry for this basic question.
I master to either a tascam da20 mk11 or a tascam cdrw700,of which are both 16 bit.
So would a 16 bit template/session be better for mastering than the 24 bit?

Is the 24 bit session templates only used for mastering to 24 bit dat or cd recorders?

Any info would be much appreciated

[img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[cane]

Again i know its that old chesnut .16 vs 24
debate i just wanted know whether a 24 bit recorder ( cd/dat) makes an audibal difference.
Also if anyone actualy notices the 16 bit / 24 bit differences with there ears?

[jackruston]

Hi Cane
The best thing to do IMHO is to record everything at 24bit. This gives you much more headroom. Because you lose bit resolution when your signal is lower than 0db if you record at 16bit your true resolution is lower. If you have synths and other digital kit they may not be sending you a 24bit signal so they're never going to 'sound' 24bit anyway. It will have a noticable affect on vocals etc though. Anyway so bounce to a 24bit stereo track and import into a new mastering session (24bit). Apply whatever processing etc you feel neccessary. The final plug in on your master fader should be a dither, going down to 16bit. In short, dither at the very end, otherwise be as 24bit as you can.
Jack

[cane]

Is dither necessary on the master or does my dat or cd recorder do this automaticaly?

Dat tascam da 20 mk 11
CD tascam cdrw 700

[ThomCat]

All other things being equal, in almost every case 24 bit is audibly better than 16. The difference is more pronounced if you must bounce tracks.

Dither should generally only be used as the last stage of processing when going from a higher resolution (such as 24) to a lower one (such as 16), for example, when you make a red book compatible 16 bit copy designed for CD from a 24 bit master.

[Juergen]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>Originally posted by cane:
Is dither necessary on the master or does my dat or cd recorder do this automaticaly?

Dat tascam da 20 mk 11
CD tascam cdrw 700<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Your dat will record things at 16 bit, but will not dither any incoming signal...it's like bouncing to a 16 bit file in PT...that by itself does not dither the signal, you can only add dither by putting a dithering plug in at the end of the process...

Like ThomCat said. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Juergen

[phamtec]

The difference between 24 bit and 16 bit is very noticable to me. The effects are sharper etc.

I do all my work in 24 bit, and then dither down to deliver. The result isn't as good as 24 bit, but my rational is that in the future I will be able to get my 24 bit stuff out to the real world, and I don't want to skimp now.

I wish I could afford to carry my G4 around with me when I gig, since all my sounds are just so much better, but I need to convert to 16 bit for my iBook.

My Trinity sounds just awesome compared to other keyboards because it's 24 bit.

Anyway, you CAN tell the difference, and at some point in the future people will be able to distribute 24bit 48kHz audio data and listen to it with consumer gear.

Sorry to rant. I just wanted to add my few cents to the debate.

[Park Seward]

Remember to add dither to all bounces since the internal processing is at 32 bits floating.