Topic: how to convert 24bit to 16bit???

[rustoleum]

I stand corrected... I use WaveLab which results in a 16bit file as a direct result of the dithering process. 

[divamum]

Colour me n00b but back up a second and 'splain please Lucy...

Now I have the R09 I'm starting to do 24bit. I've only just started playing with these files and for the most part have been leaving them as 24bit but I want go to 16 I'd like to know the steps that i should be taking for optimum results... (I ignorantly assumed it would just be a case of "save as" and the software did it for me.  However, we all know what they say when you "assume"...

Anyway, cart before horse:  can somebody explain (and/or point me to links explaining) what rendering and dithering are and (more importantly) how they affect final sound? 

Ta ever so boys.

[Brian Skalinder]

Anyway, cart before horse:  can somebody explain (and/or point me to links explaining) what rendering and dithering are and (more importantly) how they affect final sound?

Rendering is just the language WaveLab uses to describe the process of applying edits to a file.

As for dither, first it's important to understand analog-to-digital conversion and vice versa.

Dithering is a process by which one converts a file from 24-bit to 16-bit.  There's a decent blurb on Wikipedia that explains audio dither pretty plainly.

Different editing applications may also employ noise shaping as part of their dither funcions.  Noise shaping is a way of shifting the (basically) random noise produce by dither to certain frequencies the listener finds more desirable, usually higher into the frequency range.

Bottom line is a 16-bit file properly dithered from 24-bit will sound better than a 16-bit file truncated from 24-bit.  And different dither algorithms sound better to some people than others.  I performed a dither comparison for my own purposes, and shared the results with others.  You may not find it super useful, though, since if I recall correctly, divamum, you're often recording unamplified voice.  IME, selecting different dither algorithms will have more of an effect on your recordings than someone recording from a PA.  The reason is because your recordings will have more dynamic range.  The (good) noise introduced by dither therefore will be more noticeable since your signal at times will drop to far softer than one produced recording a PA.  This will make the dither you use, and the noise shaping options you select, more noticeable.

That said, probably none of the dither options in my comp will sound -bad-, but you may find you prefer one over another.  I'd first start out getting familiar with the overall process of converting 24-bit files to 16-bit, and then start playing around with dither.

What software do you plan to use?  While the general process steps are the same regardless of software - edit first (compression, gain changes, EQ, fading, etc.), then resample, then dither - different software uses different workflow to accomplish these actions.  I've written a 24-bit workflow for Audacity.  I'm also familiar with Cool Edit Pro / Adobe Audition, and David Klein provided some really good informal feedback about its workflow when I first switched to 24-bit.  If you let us know what s/w you're using, someone can probably provide info on proper workflow within the s/w.

[divamum]

MANY thanks Brian. Of course, this gets into the scary <gasp> mathematical side of things (I'm pretty geekly technologywise as long as i don't have to deal with NUMBERS - give me calcuations and I retire into a corner of "Me Dumb Singer" quivering jelly....)

In any case, much to read and digest here for which THANKS!

I use Wavelab mostly although I also have Soundforge and for superquick down-and-dirty edits will sometimes use Nero Wav (just cause it's faster). 

I'll read all those links you provided  and once I've managed to grasp it will hopefully have a better idea what I'm doing (or at least what questions to ask). 

You guys really are great in here - it's like a perpetually morphing taping encyclopedia Thanks again!

[Brian Skalinder]

I use Wavelab mostly although I also have Soundforge and for superquick down-and-dirty edits will sometimes use Nero Wav (just cause it's faster). 

I'll read all those links you provided  and once I've managed to grasp it will hopefully have a better idea what I'm doing (or at least what questions to ask). 

If you're not a math geek, don't sweat the math.  It's the concepts that are important.  And most important is knowing when and how to dither.  Unfortunately, I'm only vaguely familiar with WaveLab, so I'm not much help for its specific workflow.