16 bit vs. 24 bit digital. Worth the price difference?

[magicman]

I've been recording on a 16 bit digital machine and it's light years ahead of the many analog machines I've used. I'm very happy with the 16 bit sound but some of the new 24 bit machines (Tascam and Yamaha specifically) are really becoming affordable. I'm ready to move up to a machine with more tracks. Is 24 bit that much better than 16 bit? Can you hear the difference?

[ametth]

yes.

[pglewis]

I just got a 24-bit card, but I'm sticking with 16-bit for a few more weeks. 8 extra bits per sample adds up to 50% more drive space for the same length track, and I'm in serious need of a dedicated audio drive.

I haven't compared 16 vs 24 on my system, but I'm a computer weenie so I understand the basic theory behind it. The bottom line is 24 bit audio gives you 256 times the "headroom" of 16-bit audio (from the 8 extra bits to store the intensity of each sample). Dynamic instruments can be tricky to record in digital, I'll take all the headroom I can get while tracking. I'm recording a lot of dynamic instruments, so 24-bit audio will probably justify the extra storage space, in my case.

96k, on the other hand, more than DOUBLES the storage space (over 16/44.1) and only gives you a smidge over twice the sampling rate of 44.1. For me, I think I'd have a lot of pieces in the signal path to improve/replace before my system would really reap the benefits of 96k.

[skweeks]

yeah, lots of people can here the difference... quick question for you though, what's the 24bit yamaha machine?

[drstawl]

Not quite 256 times the headroom.
It divides the samples into finer gradations of amplitude. But I can't wait to find out for myself how many dB of real headroom is obtained by the increased sample size.
It's gotta improve it some, all other things, like quality of D/A converters remaining constant...

[magicman]

The Yamaha machine I've been looking at is:

http://www.yamaha.com/cgi-win/webcgi...DAW00008AW4416

I looked at the Akai 16 track 24 bit machine too; even though I use 16 tracks now I thought moving up to 24 bit might be worth it. The problem is, if I read the literature right, it's being pushed as a 16 track 24 bit machine but the specs say it's only capable of playing back 16 tracks at the 16 bit setting. Use 24 bits and you can only playback 12 tracks.


Also, I agree on the problem with recording dynamic instruments. I've had trouble with electronic drums. They record and playback fine but if I try to bounce them, even through compression, they develop weird peaks and valleys noticeable enough to give the entire mix a strange seesaw effect. I don't usually bounce but the few times I tried it ruined the song.

[drstawl]

If you can't bounce on a digital machine, trade it in for a DAW. There's something rotten in Denmark.