Show 309 – What’s the Floating Point of 32 Bit Recording ?

Ryan and Jon discuss 32-bit recording, which is now possible on some devices. Never worrying about clipping seems nice but is this something you actually need?
We talk about how it works, the tradeoffs, and when it might actually make sense to do it.

Download Episode 309

Chapters

00:00 – Intro
00:42 – today’s topic: 32-bit audio recording
01:50 – 16-bit audio
02:49 – 24-bit audio
03:20 – more bits is not louder
03:44 – managing a high dynamic range situation
05:01 – 32-bit float audio
06:43 – more dynamic range than anything that could happen on earth
06:55 – its still possible to overload the mic
09:12 – also consider the monitoring side
09:25 – Kai Paquin’s Summary of how these systems work
11:27 – The 32-bit recording may look clipped but it is not
12:04 – The preamps work differently and optimized for the format
13:33 – The FILE cannot clip, but your mic still can
14:47 – Post workflow difference
16:05 – 32-bit wireless systems
17:03 – You don’t need this if you can set levels, but sometimes you can’t
18:45 – In the studio
21:07 – 32-bit and beyond with plugins

Links

https://www.sounddevices.com/32-bit-float-files-explained/

https://paquinsound.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-problem-with-19232bit-recordings.html

https://acousticnature.com/journal/best-32-bit-float-audio-recorders

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This episode is supported by:
Brian Olsen, Doug Darrell, Stephan Gaugh, musicforgeeks, someone, John Stranovsky, Jonathan R, and Michael Sedelmaier.