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HOW DO I CHANGE THE BIT DEPTH?!

Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 4:06 pm
by j_crerar
I am working in 32-bit float for a remastering project and now want to bounce to .wav

My client wants it to be CD playback lossless conversion, so I'll need to bounce to 16-bit, 44.1kHz (which is the current sample rate anyway).

Does audacity dither automatically from 32-bit float to 16-bit when I 'Export Selection to Wav' or do I have to do it manually or use another program?

Oh and I recorded into Audacity using 32-bit float if that helps.

Please help, this is pretty urgent!!!

Re: HOW DO I CHANGE THE BIT DEPTH?!

Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 4:18 pm
by waxcylinder
Yes it will do the dithering - just select the export format as WAV (Microsoft 16 bit PCM). You do have control over the dithering shape if you need it (through your Audacity Preferences), but the default setting seems to work fine.

I always record and edit in 32-bit float 44.1kHz and downsample on export to 16-bit PCM WAV @441.kHz - and this works absolutely fine, produces excellent CDs.

WC

Re: HOW DO I CHANGE THE BIT DEPTH?!

Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 5:30 pm
by j_crerar
Thank you so much man! I'm such an idiot. I THOUGHT I had looked everywhere and dismissed the 'file format' tab thinking it would just be choosing .wav, .mp3. aiff etc, without realising it confirmed the default of 16bit wav.

Thanks again man, your a life save :)

Re: HOW DO I CHANGE THE BIT DEPTH?!

Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 5:49 pm
by waxcylinder
No problems - gald to have helped. It can often be difficult to find where some things are buried - it's easy when you know. I recently "lost" one of the effects when I changed from 1.3.5 to 1.3.6 when the developers changed the list structure ...

WC