Topic: 48 khz and 16 bit vs. 32khz and 12 bit

[Manuell]

Hello,
how bad is the difference between those both?
Because I can record with my camera 4 channels but only with 32 khz and 12 bit instead of recording 2 channels in 48khz and 16 bit.

[rowjimmytour]

Hello,
how bad is the difference between those both?
Because I can record with my camera 4 channels but only with 32 khz and 12 bit instead of recording 2 channels in 48khz and 16 bit.

Difference for me would be if you plan on burning the audio to CDR. It would be better to record at 16/48 then re sample to 44.1 but if you went 12/32 you could not gain the 1's and 0's after you differ and re sample.

[Manuell]

I want to burn it on dvd. I want to film a concert and I want to get the sound from a mixer (2 channels) an also from a stereomic (2 channel).

[run_run_run]

yeah go 48 then

[rowjimmytour]

I want to burn it on dvd. I want to film a concert and I want to get the sound from a mixer (2 channels) an also from a stereomic (2 channel).

for video 16/48 all the way!!

[Manuell]

hmm
but then I have to choose between mic or mixer and can't mix the sound. But I have the quality of 48khz.
Maybe I use my md-recorder for the sound from the mixer.

[cleantone]

Even when 32khz could be adaquate (speech only), 12bit really starts to sound poor. I would avoid it whenever possible.

[Manuell]

ok
thanks for helping me 

[Lil Kim Jong-Il]

As mentioned above, you need 16b/48k for DVD if you are putting the audio track as LPCM because DVD-V format supports only 48k and 96k LPCM audio.  If you encode to DTS or AC3, you may be able to import the 12b/32k but I think that the audio will suffer from the lower resolution recording.

If you have the option of recording from both your camera mic and the mixer, I would suggest doing that because you can rework the audio using the best source before you author the DVD.

edit to mention that if you use the camera low resolution recording for ambient and if the mix at 48K sounds good, you could author a 5.1 DTS with the ambient in center and rear and using the soundboard for the main channels. 

[DSatz]

The 12-bit format that's used for video isn't linear PCM, is it? I seem to recall (from the old Video8 format, which used that approach for its digital audio tracks) that it's a logarithmically scaled system with four bits of exponent and eight bits of mantissa, surrounded by an analog compander.

If so, then for normal consumer video purposes it's certainly adequate, but it has no pretensions to being a true high-fidelity medium, and critical listening would occasionally reveal its flaws.

--best regards

[Roving Sign]

The 12-bit format that's used for video isn't linear PCM, is it? I seem to recall (from the old Video8 format, which used that approach for its digital audio tracks) that it's a logarithmically scaled system with four bits of exponent and eight bits of mantissa, surrounded by an analog compander.

If so, then for normal consumer video purposes it's certainly adequate, but it has no pretensions to being a true high-fidelity medium, and critical listening would occasionally reveal its flaws.

--best regards

Yep - "12 bit, non-linear" is the way it read in the old D7 manual...its the older Sony digital spec...

Translation: It doesn't sound THAT bad...not unmusical...not ideal - but if the music was good - it will carry the day. 

Ya know...no shortage of ohhhs and aaahhhhs over vintage Sony PCM F1 recordings of the Dead...

[SmokinJoe]

Which would you rather have... a picture of a pretty girl with a 2 megapixel camera, or a picture of an ugly girl with 10 megapixel camera?  If you choose the latter, you need to walk away from the computer and go get a life.

Similarly, I'd rather have an MP3 of a nice mix to go with my video, then CD quality of crappy sound.  If the 4 channels gives you the nice mix, go with it.  Sound quality is not just about having a pedigree, it's about how it sounds!