On the Tascam 788, 16 vs. 24 bit, how big is the difference?

[pM of impk21.co]

For a grip when I had my 788 I would record everything in 24 bit, occasionally I would record in 16 bit, I had only compared the two one time, didnt really hear a difference. Due to pc limitations, I have been recording everything in 16 bit now, from there I transfer the WAVs to pc and we mix. I use a Rode NTK to record with and it does seem touchy on the sibrilences. When the mix is done it just seems like the sound quality almost has a hint of a digital sound to it. Could part of this problem be from recording in 16 vs 24?

My bad if this is a redudent post. Any suggestions, feedback, links, would be appreicated, thanx. PM

 

[philboyd studge]

Is your sound card 24 bit? If not, get one and keep everything at 24 bit till you 'master' a 16 bit .wav file for cd......you'll be much happier what the result.

 

[Blue Bear Sound]

When the mix is done it just seems like the sound quality almost has a hint of a digital sound to it.

What, exactly, does "digital sound" mean?

In any case - yes, the quality of digital recording has a direct link to the quality of the A/D converters, part of which is the bit depth used. All things being equal, a 24-bit recording will represent the sound source much more accurately than a 16-bit recording.