PlanetZ forums - scopeusers.com

Right recently I was faced with the dilema of getting my 20 bit recording on an adat lx20 onto a fostex vf16 which is only 16 bit, to put onto my pulsar DAW.

Basically I had a couple options for outputting from the lx20 I could either select 16 bit out where the bits 16-24 are are truncated.

Or I could select 16 bit dither, as to quote the manual it 'adds a carefully calculated mathematical noise' to create the impression of a 20bit resolution recording. But the manual said that it was not to be used if the signal was likely to be dithered again as the noise becomes apparent.

Two qustions:

1. Am I right in presuming that this would omit any sound information below -96db?
2. In editing and mixing on my pulsar daw is the signal likely to be dithered again? ie from effects that have 32 bit resolution

Roger Nichols american producer extraordinaire http://www.rogernichols.com/
said in one of his columns in EQ that you can dither a signal as many times as you want. It does'nt matter.

However you should avoid doing noise shaping more then once as it introduces artifacts.

So you should definitley go for the 20 bit dither option.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: jupiter8 on 2002-05-16 09:32 ]</font>

Thanks for the info, therein lies the problem I can set the adat out to 16dt this dithers and noise shapes, the only other options for 16 bit out, is to truncate the bits.
Thanks again.