worth transferring 16 bit tracks to do 24 bit mix

[gaucho]

I believe I've seen this question before here, but cannot find that thread.

I'd prefer to mix my incoming lightpiped samples in 24-bit, but I've got some live guitar tracks in DP6 that are 16-bit. should I up-convert those live tracks and mix in 24, or should I stick with the resolution of the original tracks.

Is it worth it, to mix my dozens of MIDI tracks at 24-bit? (it's probably 90% MIDI)

[MIDI Life Crisis]

If it's not going into a production of some sort, I wouldn't bother. Maybe on a case by case if there's something you really want to use, but if I wasn't doing production work, I'd probably just stay at 44/16.

[HCMarkus]

24 bits give you the luxury of headroom. If you use some compression and light limiting on your Master Fader and record off that (to make sure you aren't wasting bits in your two-track master) AND if the program material has reasonably limited dynamic range (i.e. pop, as opposed to a classical opus), you should be just fine at 16 bits.

On the other hand, it isn't very difficult to convert the audio files before mixing.

[Dan Worley]

I follow a simple guideline of always working in 24-bit. So I say, yes, it is worth it. Do it and never question it again.

Now, sure as you know what, someone's gong to say set the project to 32-bit.

[HCMarkus]

I follow a simple guideline of always working in 24-bit. So I say, yes, it is worth it. Do it and never question it again.

Now, sure as you know what, someone's gong to say set the project to 32-bit.

64.

[jloeb]

SET THE PROJECT TO 32BIT.

[mikehalloran]

DP has been able to handle both types simultaneously since 5.13. I wouldn't bother.

[Dan Worley]

Can we get 128? DP must face suck if it can't do that.

[MIDI Life Crisis]

I recently did a project that the engineer (very competent) suggested I do the project in 96k since I mentioned that the project might go to Blue Ray. My feeling was that 48k/24 bit was just fine. If there was a problem in going to Blue Ray I'd be happy to go back into the studio and re-record the score... As it ends up, the score will probably go to national cable, and damn it, 48/24 is good enough for them!

[Kubi]

Make sure your project is 24 bits, and print your MIDI tracks that way too. (If you print your MIDI tracks - I always do.) As Mike says, you can leave the guitar source tracks at 16bits, they will integrate seamlessly into the 24bit splendor of the rest of your project. You'll gain nothing by converting 16bit tracks to 24bit, it'll just write a bunch of nothing into the extra bits. But you do gain a lot of sound quality by mixing the 16bit guitar tracks and all the MIDI tracks in a 24bit project.

[gaucho]

I do remember seeing that you could mix bit rates in a project.

Have you done this? Is it as seamless as they say?

If so, that resolves this little snafu.

[Shooshie]

I follow a simple guideline of always working in 24-bit. So I say, yes, it is worth it. Do it and never question it again.

Now, sure as you know what, someone's gong to say set the project to 32-bit.

Set the project to 32-bit.

Float.

shoosh

[mikehalloran]

I do remember seeing that you could mix bit rates in a project.

Have you done this? Is it as seamless as they say?

If so, that resolves this little snafu.

At the risk of repeating myself:

DP has been able to handle both types simultaneously since 5.13. I wouldn't bother.

Those of us who deal with tracks from other studios run into this all the time. The easiest way to deal with this is - don't.

[Phil O]

I do remember seeing that you could mix bit rates in a project.

Have you done this? Is it as seamless as they say?

I've done it many times. It's is absolutely seamless.

Phil

[gaucho]

working great so far. it appears that this ability to combine Bit depth formats does NOT include different sample rates. In other words, 44.1 and 48 cannot be combined. right?