Gear / Technical Help > Recording Gear

32Bit Float recording - The Technical view

(1/27) > >>

dallman:
This started as a recording thread but that has been moved to a new thread, and I leave this for those that wish to debate defend complain or whatever about their gear or the 32bit float process.


I thought with a few new decks having 32bit float recording and more coming, it might be nice to have a thread dedicated to recording with this process. There are plenty of threads debating the merits and features of the decks but many of us are interested in focusing on how these decks record in 32bit float and what the results are, so I thought this might be useful.

I used my MixPre6 II on Saturday to record Gov't Mule. I ran hotter than I ever had, and I did lower the levels about 2db after the first song which was in the red the entire time. My goal was to run hot, but not super in the red at all times hot. I ran 4 channels, Schoeps MK41's Hypercardioid, and Superlux S502 Cardioid. Here are my thoughts:

I started recording in 1971. It was really hard, really hard to watch levels run regularly in the red after 48 years of avoiding the red. I did it, but I figured how hot to run will be a gradual process.

The results though were excellent! There was nothing even close to distortion. I opened in Soundforge which is what I like to use nest. I transferred the poly file to a stereo file for the Schoeps and a stereo file for the Superlux. On both files I lowered the gain on the first song 2 db and then the entire file another 2 db. The files looked perfect and sounded great. I see obvious advantages , especially when the levels at the start of the show are much hotter than expected.

The learning curve might just be does anything matter? Is any gain too much? Do I care that I have to lower the gain in post if it sound great? Will it at any point with high hot gain sound compressed? These seem to be the details that we will all be looking at, and there probably will be a few differing opinions just like in all of our recording techniques. However there is much more freedom. After 48 years I do not make too many mistakes and I know my mics and most local rooms, but...this was really cool, I totally look forward to using the deck more. Tonight I will record 6 channels at a DSO show with different mics and while I do not plan to run superhot,  will push my levels into the red with confidence.

spyder9:
Do you have any screen shots of the 'before & after' during Post Edit?

jerryfreak:

--- Quote from: dallman on September 30, 2019, 02:48:31 PM ---Will it at any point with high hot gain sound compressed?

--- End quote ---

in absence of using limiters it shouldnt

Gordon:

--- Quote from: spyder9 on September 30, 2019, 02:54:50 PM ---Do you have any screen shots of the 'before & after' during Post Edit?

--- End quote ---

check this out!  this is from

https://www.sounddevices.com/noise-in-32-bit-float/?fbclid=IwAR1gJr5l4Bfo1GMNZXvLMqa_hWC2k1Sf9vk2tZoD7tdcz1K0GTsWcgYpRUY

I opened the one that says "all 3" in iZotope and saved the clipped one by itself.  As you can see it's +31db and is full of distortion etc.  Lowered the gain to just below clipping and it looks and more importantly sounds perfect!  I'm sold.....

Paul Isaacs:
The only things you need to worry about with the MixPre-II in 32-bit mode are:
1) The microphone itself clipping!
2) Not exceeding the +12dBv (+14dBu or 11 volts p-p) maximum input on the MixPre's mic input. Good luck with that!

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page