per-track bit-depth info and default sample format

[allencmcbride]

If I set default sample format to 16-bit, and then open an Audacity project that was recorded at 32 bits, each track will say "16 bit" at the left, below the track title. But it hasn't actually resampled the track, has it? Is this a bug? If not, what is it trying to tell me? Thanks! --Allen

[Gale Andrews]

If I set default sample format to 16-bit, and then open an Audacity project that was recorded at 32 bits, each track will say "16 bit" at the left, below the track title. But it hasn't actually resampled the track, has it? Is this a bug? If not, what is it trying to tell me?

I think the reasoning is probably that showing the tracks in a project recorded at 32 bit quality as "16 bit PCM" when opened with 16 bit quality settings is a reminder that your quality settings are 16 bit. Those settings apply basically to newly generated, recorded or imported audio, either in an existing or new project.

In your example, where you opened your 32 bit project with quality set at 16 bit, so displaying the tracks as 16 bit, that audio remains in 32 bit quality - 10 x 1 MB .au files per minute for each channel of audio. If you edit the whole of one of those tracks, the new data is also 32 bit, producing another 10 x 1 MB files per minute for each channel.

If you then recorded a minute of audio into the project, that track would correctly say "16 bit" and would only have 5 x 1 MB .au files to reflect the lower quality. If you then changed quality to 32 bit and recorded for a minute, that track will display "32 bit PCM", and would have 10 x 1 MB .au files.

So, yes depending on interpretation, you could view the display of the original project tracks as "16 bit PCM" as a bug. I think I would tend to do so.


Gale

[allencmcbride]

Thanks! This answers my question perfectly. --Allen