24 bit to 16 bit DAT?

[Steve West]

I am running 24 bit 48KhZ from my Hammerfall card through SPDIF to a 16bit 48Khz DAT machine. Does the bit difference matter? I do notice that my level on the DAT machine is -18db when I'm seeing close to 0db in Sonar while I'm mixing. Is the bit difference why I have low output?

Thanks,
Steve

 

[Bulls Hit]

Yep it's always the same moving from 24 bit to 16.

16 bit doesn't have the same dynamic range

 

[Robert D]

Steve,
You should probably do the conversion from 24 bit to 16 bit in Sonar, and apply some dithering so that the extra bits aren't just truncated. Also, check that both the DAT and the RME card are operating at the same reference level (+4 or -10).

 

[Steve West]

24 bit to 16 bit

Steve,
You should probably do the conversion from 24 bit to 16 bit in Sonar, and apply some dithering so that the extra bits aren't just truncated. Also, check that both the DAT and the RME card are operating at the same reference level (+4 or -10).

Thanks so much! I didn't realize I had to go through Totalmix before optic signal came out of RME card. So, I went in Totalmix and set my output level to match that of Sonar and it's now hitting my DAT machine in unity gain.
However, increasing the gain cuases my 16bit DAT machine to distort. I will need to convert my 24bit to 16bit somewhere in Sonar or would that be something in the HDSP9652 software?

My other question is: My ADAT XT-20 machines are 20 bit. The output of my card is 24bit. Does this 4 bit difference mater that much or should I try to get that matched also?

Thanks,
Steve

 

[Farview]

Why do you have to go to tape at all? I'm suprised you have a working DAT machine. I have 3 of them and they all stopped working sometime in the last couple years. Probably from non-use. Why don't you spit the 24 bit files onto a data CD, that way you won't lose anything.

So, I went in Totalmix and set my output level to match that of Sonar and it's now hitting my DAT machine in unity gain.
However, increasing the gain cuases my 16bit DAT machine to distort.

Are you going digitally or analog? If you are going digitally, the only way to distort the DAT is to go over 0dbfs. You just can't do that.
If you are going analog, you are just going to have to turn down the output of the computer.