Making a 20-bit recording into a 16-bit cd

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Purple-Tortoise

New member
Currently I record with a Fostex fd-4 and I midisync it to n-Track.(with the soundcard that came with my computer) I master in Soundforge xp. I would like to upgrade my recording gear up to a 20-bit Adat and a better soundcard. when I want to burn to cd-r now I just drag my mixed down sound file into Adaptec cd creator.How do I do this with a 20-bit recording since cd's are 16-bit 44.1?
Do I resample in soundforge? If so do I lose a lot?
 
I record in 24bit 48-96kHz so I had the same problem and didn't have an editing program. I use WaveLab now to edit my audio and it lets you reformat to 16bit 44.1kHz. if you are acustom to listening to 20bit all the time you might notice a little downgrade in quality but that is 16bit for you.
 
cd quality is only 16 bit.. no matter what sampling rate and bit rate you record at , when burned to a cd , its always burned at 16 bit 44.1 ... its the same proceess , drag and drop , no conversion from 20 bit to 16 is necessary..it just happens on its own when burned to a cd..

- eddie -
 
That's not true Eddie N. If you just record 20-bits digitally onto a CD, you are then transcating from 20 to 16-bits; this can sounds very bad, try it.

There's ways to get 20 or even 24-bits onto a 16-bit CD by dithering; and ther's a very noticeable difference.
 
Actually it's true what you said: "no conversion from 20 bit to 16 is necessary..it just happens on its own when burned to a cd.", it's just I'd never recommend that. It sounds really bad. Something has to happen to those extra 4-bits, they don't just disappear. Instead, they change into mostly noise and a little heat energy forms. It's even worse when transcating 24-bits to 16-bits.
 
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