Bit rate question -ACID Product Family - MAGIX Community Forums Archive

Subject:Bit rate question Posted by: ClipMan Date:11/16/2009 6:32:55 AM My drum loops are 44/16. I need to record some live instruments into the project and can set the project bit rate much higher. Is there any point to this if the output is 44/16? TIA for any feedback.
Subject:RE: Bit rate question Reply by: Iacobus Date:11/16/2009 10:19:25 AM As I've always understood it, the higher the bit-depth and resolution (like 24-bit/96 kHz), the better the audio quality; especially notable with acoustic instruments. The debate always rages concerning the question, Can you actually hear the difference? Most humans can only hear up to a frequency of 44.1 kHz so to accurately reproduce up to that frequency, one can record at 88.2 kHz or higher. (The famous "Nyquist frequency".) This will increase recorded file sizes...which really shouldn't be a problem in most cases nowadays. Bit-depth is more complicated as it most likely relies more on the source material. For example, one would probably want the lowest noise floor (highest bit-depth) possible when recording a choir or orchestra (to capture those subtle nuances). In short: Record high, convert to CD-quality later. My two cents. Have at it. :) Iacobus
Subject:RE: Bit rate question Reply by: ClipMan Date:11/16/2009 12:02:24 PM "In short: Record high, convert to CD-quality later" Thanks for the feedback. OK, I can set project properties higher but what's happening to the existing 44/16 drum loops on the track? As I understand it, they will be 'upsampled' to the project rate and then 'downsampled' on output. Will anything 'bad' happen doing that?
Subject:RE: Bit rate question Reply by: Iacobus Date:11/19/2009 9:38:21 AM That's correct; ACID will playback everything on-the-fly based on the currently played project's bit-depth/sample rate. However, I believe it won't harm anything as you really can't enhance the original audio unless you apply any effects to that audio. For consistency's sake, if you have Sound Forge or other similar audio editor, I would render the project at the project's bit-depth/sample rate in ACID and do the conversion in Sound Forge as it has superior conversion tools.
Subject:RE: Bit rate question Reply by: pwppch Date:11/19/2009 9:49:16 AM One important part to consider: The project settings are controlling your audio hardware when you playback. They are meant to accomodate your hardware. When you finally render your project out - to wave, MP3, etc - the project setting has no affect on this. Any conversion of project media is done to best accomodate how the final rendering - whether it be to hardware or to a file. If you render at 192 khz at 16 bit, all of your project media will be conformed (converted to normalized floating point at the sample rate) to this dynamically. At the final stage of "rendering", the audio is converted to the requirements of the "renderer" - be it hardware or a file. Peter

Subject:Bit rate question

Posted by: ClipMan

Date:11/16/2009 6:32:55 AM

My drum loops are 44/16. I need to record some live instruments into the project and can set the project bit rate much higher. Is there any point to this if the output is 44/16? TIA for any feedback.

Subject:RE: Bit rate question

Reply by: Iacobus

Date:11/16/2009 10:19:25 AM

As I've always understood it, the higher the bit-depth and resolution (like 24-bit/96 kHz), the better the audio quality; especially notable with acoustic instruments. The debate always rages concerning the question, Can you actually hear the difference?

Most humans can only hear up to a frequency of 44.1 kHz so to accurately reproduce up to that frequency, one can record at 88.2 kHz or higher. (The famous "Nyquist frequency".) This will increase recorded file sizes...which really shouldn't be a problem in most cases nowadays.

Bit-depth is more complicated as it most likely relies more on the source material. For example, one would probably want the lowest noise floor (highest bit-depth) possible when recording a choir or orchestra (to capture those subtle nuances).

In short: Record high, convert to CD-quality later.

My two cents. Have at it. :)

Iacobus

Subject:RE: Bit rate question

Reply by: ClipMan

Date:11/16/2009 12:02:24 PM

"In short: Record high, convert to CD-quality later"

Thanks for the feedback. OK, I can set project properties higher but what's happening to the existing 44/16 drum loops on the track? As I understand it, they will be 'upsampled' to the project rate and then 'downsampled' on output. Will anything 'bad' happen doing that?

Subject:RE: Bit rate question

Reply by: Iacobus

Date:11/19/2009 9:38:21 AM

That's correct; ACID will playback everything on-the-fly based on the currently played project's bit-depth/sample rate. However, I believe it won't harm anything as you really can't enhance the original audio unless you apply any effects to that audio.

For consistency's sake, if you have Sound Forge or other similar audio editor, I would render the project at the project's bit-depth/sample rate in ACID and do the conversion in Sound Forge as it has superior conversion tools.

Subject:RE: Bit rate question

Reply by: pwppch

Date:11/19/2009 9:49:16 AM

One important part to consider:

The project settings are controlling your audio hardware when you playback. They are meant to accomodate your hardware.

When you finally render your project out - to wave, MP3, etc - the project setting has no affect on this.

Any conversion of project media is done to best accomodate how the final rendering - whether it be to hardware or to a file. If you render at 192 khz at 16 bit, all of your project media will be conformed (converted to normalized floating point at the sample rate) to this dynamically. At the final stage of "rendering", the audio is converted to the requirements of the "renderer" - be it hardware or a file.

Peter