24 bits?

[robg2251]

Please explain the whole 'bits' thing to me, if it can be summed up in a paragraph or two.. I don't know what it means.

I was looking at an audio recorder that claims it can record in 24bits. Is that good?

Any website out there that has a general explanation on the whole recording thing.. that could educate me?

Thanks!

 

[reshp1]

Computers run in binary. The only values it knows are 0 and 1 (transistors are either On or Off). Each 1 or 0 is a bit. To express numbers other than 0 and 1 you need more than one bit, the more bits the more numbers can be expressed.
The total numbers that can be expressed is 2^x, where x is the number of bits.
So 16bit (CD quality) is capable of expressing 2^16 = 65536 values, or in the case of audio, 65536 steps of resolution from the negative most signal to the positive most signal.
24bit on the other hand expresses 16777216 steps, which means that you can approximate an analog signal in much higher detail.

 

[Blue Bear Sound]

Bits don't matter.... as long as everything goes to 11!

 

[mattamatta]

I think if I ever build me a piece of gear and do a chassis, I'm gonna make the volume/gain knob go to infinity.

Probably put a working suck knob.

I was trying to build a mic pre off the INA217 the other day.... Found it kind of funny that before I had any signal passing through, I unintentionally succeeded in building an AM radio. Oh the woes of RFI and gain.

 

[RhythmRmixd]

Any website out there that has a general explanation on the whole recording thing.. that could educate me?

Try www.artistpro.com, there's a good section on digital audio explained.

 

[mshilarious]

Bits don't matter.... as long as everything goes to 11!

No, it needs to go to 1011, or in hex, B

 

[Blue Bear Sound]

"11" in binary is 3!

 

[NYMorningstar]

Here's an article that will give you a general explanation but you may need to read it a few times to understand it.
http://prorec.com/prorec/articles.nsf/files/EA68A9018C905AFB8625675400514576