This is a great PSA. I am a 13 year IATSE sound mixer and work on the highest budget biggest shows you can think of. I prefer to record in 32 bit when possible, giving myself a safety net on these type of do or die shows to avoid ADR, especially when dealing with actors who are super dynamic in their performances. However, I always check with post and will often offer to batch mod for dailies when passing off the sound roll when editors are working on AVID systems. This technology becomes particularly handy when you have actors in a scene going from a soft conversation or whisper to a fight or shouting match.

In short, the title should be" Record in 32 bit to avoid clipping or noise and convert it to 24bit as soon as you can, before delivery"

As a run and gun film maker, 32bit float has saved countless events for me. One of the most revolutionary things for me.

Working on the image side, it's so funny to me watching sound guys squirm before SLIGHTLY LARGER files.

I bought a F6 for theatre recordings, there are far more dynamic than the audience experiences. From whispering to shouting all in one uninterrupted 1+ hour take.

Being on this industry for almost 20 years I can tell you one thing. if we had always listened to avid, we still would pay a 1000 bucks to export a AAF file. 32 bit float is one of the greatest things that happened in audio in the last 10 years - Avid should get there s**** together.

There's a lot of misinformation here, which is surprising because Alex has conveyed good information in the past. Avid, Premiere, Final Cut, have all been able to load floating-point audio files for many years, so interoperability is not an issue. Also, floating-point audio stores a sample in 32 bits, which is only 33% larger than 24-bit audio, so it's not that big a deal in terms of additional storage utilization.

The bigger issue is that people think just because they dont clip the audio, they tend to distort the MIC CAPSULE , and thats where the issue really lies

I personally don't know anyone who is interested in 32bit float for high gain clipping. For Events, Weddings and Funerals, I find it much more useful for bringing up the "quiet one", or the "crying one", without bringing up the noise floor. There's always the one who is afraid of the mic, or holding it in a way where they are difficult to hear. That is what excites me and those I've talked to about it. A lot of us have two channel recordings with one hot and one not to keep from the clipping disaster.

To further complicate things: It's important to keep in mind that "high dynamic range" audio capture is two parts: Yes, 32 bit float avoids the file format from limiting what can be captured, but you also need equipment that has multiple analog to digital converters (ADCs) staged to capture different loudness ranges like the Mix-Pre II units. A good, real-world ADC can't handle much more than 120dB of dynamic rage - which is a lot, but wether the source has a lot of range like a race car, or you aren't as skilled as Alex and you just didn't set the levels well (or didn't monitor them because you're a solo shooter), you can risk clipping. A product like the Rode Wireless Go 2 can output 32 bit float, but because it only has one stage of ADC, it can never record that wide dynamic range without either clipping at the high end or losing the signal in the noise floor at the low end. Converting a limited signal to the "larger range" of a 32 bit float format won't improve what was actually recorded.

Thanks for the video! 32-bit float is a game-changer from a recording perspective, even if you need to drop it to 24-bit PCM later. I do take issue with the recommendation to throw away the 32-bit float files after the fact. They're only 33% larger than their 24-bit counterparts. The benefit of keeping them is that when the rest of the production chain finally catches up, you may be able to reap the benefits of that in remastering or reuse in a future project. Or, you may decide to mix something differently. Who knows what tools, techniques or capabilities the future may hold? I always keep my RAW files for photography, and as new RAW converters have come out, I've been able to reprocess old images in a way that makes them look so much better.

I record everything in 32bit now. I edit to taste in Reaper and then convert to 24bit and I’m good to go. Thanks for this video. All your content on this channel is extremely valuable.

Frankly, the problem lies with Avid. If the popularity of 32 bit continues to grow (and I think it will) they will have to catch up - Avid is supposed to be a premium product, I’m surprised they didn’t get ahead of this.

A good analogy in the photo world is RAW . It's good to have the dynamic range and the white balance choice , but you still gonna deliver a jpeg to a client . 32 bits should be use like raw for capture , and the jpeg is the 24 bits

the 32 bit float recording on the Sound Devices Mixer 3 ii is what allowed me to finally purchase a field recorder that wouldn't give me anxiety for recording my choir concerts. I'm fairly savvy on the photography/videography side of things, and my whole world has been music since I was a child, but the specific area of what audio capture device I need to record something like a concert was brand new to me. On top of that, I have ADHD. I'm a one man band who decided that I wanted to have good recordings of the concerts I participate in for when I want to remember these moments. Finding somebody who happened to be recording on a phone that manages to have the right audio is incredibly it or miss, and whether or not they upload the whole concert, just a part, or nothing at all, means that's not a reliable way to capture these memories. So I buy all of this equipment, and I personally set it up on the day of the concert, during whatever time exists between dress rehearsal and the moment of performance. The ADHD paralyzes me enough, with the fear of forgetting something important, or leaving something behind, or not having the correct gain settings, etc. I can deal with messed up video. I'd probably give up if I experience an amazing performance and some mistake I made messed up the audio I worked so hard to try to get. 32 bit means that I don't have to worry about that at all. It doesn't matter how loud or soft the music may be, how far away I've set it up, or if there were elements to the performance that I couldn't account for because they weren't addressed during the rehearsal. As long as I have set up and powered my recorder, the audio will be captured, and I can spend whatever time I need in post to bring it to where I need it to be. Now that I know better, I could probably work with 24 bit audio without being afraid I'll do something wrong, but 32 bit is what allowed me to have the peace of mind that, no matter what, I *will* capture the audio as long as I make sure that a small handful of things are taken care of, and is what allowed me to start recording my concerts with enough confidence to learn as I go.

The evolution of audio from 8 to 12 to 16 to 18 to 24 and now 32 bits, has always been about less distortion and lower noise floor. My Zoom H6 only goes to 24 bits but I can stretch the dynamic range for more headroom by using their compressor.

I record mostly in 32bit. It's just so easy and it has saved me lots time (and lots of wasted audio). But I curate my library to 24bit and then delete my raw 32bit recordings.

Programmer and producer here! Great video, but I think there's a small error, which might be confusing: 0:54 This graphic is 32 bit NON FLOAT (just regular 32 bit PCM) 0:58 This second graphic IS 32 bit float. moving from 16->24->32 should look like a linear increase on a dB scale (as in the first graphic) - but comparing to 32 bit FLOAT (or indeed any float format) should look WILDLY different, like off the scale - as in the second graphic. 32 bit PCM is not 32 bit float - you must always say 'float' when you mean float. Thanks! READ ON FOR NERD SHIT: Here' the bottom line: 16 bit can store 2^16 = 65,535 different values (ie 0-65k) 24 bit can store 2^24 = 16,777,216 different values (ie 0-16mil) 32 bits can store 2^32 = 4,294,967,296 different values (etc) 32 bit float can store about the same NUMBER of different values, but the RANGE is WILDLY increased to 3x10 to the power of 38: THAT'S 3 WITH 38 ZEROS 340282300000000000000000000000000000000 maximum! (3.40282347E38 if you want to be precise) It's an entirely different kind of number! Very wierd, but very useful for dynamic range. You absolutely CAN clip with 32 bit PCM, you absolutely CAN'T clip with 32 bit float - it's functionally infinite, as you can see. An over-simplified way to think about it is floating point numbers aren't one number, they're two numbers: a base, and an exponent. 2 to the power of 4, for instance, 2 and 4. That exponent allows the ENORMOUS range. If you want to dive into the maths, wikipedia is pretty good: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single-precision_floating-point_format I agree with your conclusions, however - once the dynamic range is normalised, save in your normal formats (you could use 24bit non float to usefully keep the bit depth, while maintaining compatibility with video editors, I believe) I edit my videos in Reaper, so I have no problem XD

It sounds to me like you SHOULD record in 32-Bit and then convert to 24 for downstream editing

Every modern daw supports 32bit float or more. If yours doesn’t then change to a different one. 32 is always better since All the internal plug-in processing of every daw is done at 32bit float So working at 24 actually damages the sound when rendering multiple times. Which is a real world example. Converting to 24 or 16 should be left for mastering or as your last export. You can also read about it in some daw manuals like steinberg Cubase. Which supports 64 ✌️

32 bit float is amazing for live music recording. I'm confused at the title of this video because at 3:16 he says it's great on the capture side. Exactly. The output format is pretty easy to change whenever needed. Save as

My opinion about floating Point Recording is not just that you cannot clip, but I found it very useful (compared to 24-bit recording) when I record Bioacoustics (Surface, Plants, Trees), which are mostly very quiet sources. And in post, almost no noise is boosted compared to 24-bit recording. 32-bit recordings is made for recording extra high & extra low sound sources, for other loudness's 24-bit could be enough good (f.e. sounds of forest water, birds and similar). Of course this is just my opinion based on my experiences working with both bit depth recordings.

32 bit float is always worth recording in even if it gets downgraded later. The file size is not a problem considering professional cameras record a terabyte of footage every few minutes and there are so many bad directors who can’t seem to understand this and say cut. DAWs will eventually get upgraded to support this format if they haven’t already. There’s always going to be a limiting factor that prevents new technology from working most effectively but that shouldn’t stop you from investing for the future. Yeah if you have a Zoom F6 or any cheap device like that with 32bit float you most likely don’t know what you are doing and are using it as more of a safety. Professionals can more accurately gain stage, but every now and then theres still some guy in post that says it’s not loud enough or quiet enough so 32 bit float is a good way to solve this problem.

I feel like any disadvantages are pretty easy to overcome. Simple communication solves the workflow issue, if they're ok with 32-bit then no worries if they can't use it then record 32-bit and batch convert to 24-bit after any tweaks. I don't buy the extra storage issue, anyone working with video files will have adequate storage for audio regardless of bit depth, the files are still miniscule compared to video. I hope 32-bit is embraced across the board.

I really appreciate your thoughts and examples. You inspired an analogy: in photography, pretty much all professionals shoot in RAW but rarely (if ever) deliver to consumers in RAW. Most end users are fine with jpeg. They might want png or bmp or if they're REALLY ambitious! For the end user, not only is RAW unnecessary; it's complicated and can lead to problems with just enjoying their photos. Similar with audio. 32-bit float is really for the audio engineers and recordists to do their behind-the-scenes work. For most, 16-bit is fine. 24-bit is for the ambitious listeners and audiophiles.

The title here says "I don't record in 32-bit." RECORD. That is bad advice, as it usually is when someone is telling you, "Bah, who needs that, nobody can even handle it yet! And the file sizes, OMG!" We're talking about audio here, and the systems we're working on routinely handle massive video throughput. The processing and storage requirements for audio are trivial by comparison... as is a simple batch process to downconvert your day's audio recordings for retrograde editing software. You're going to give up freedom from recording-level worries to avoid that?

Recording at 32 bit floating point, doing any tweaks after going through the audio, delivering assists to the client at 24 bit. I’m not lazy, it’s not hard

Supposedly most DAWs will simply read 32 Bit Float files as input. The processing is 64 Bot Float,anyway. If you save files from the DAW, it does make sense to use 24 Bit Fixed, as it does not harm (after working on the file by Mixing and compressing. So you are compatible with everybody. Regarding file size: 32 Bit Float files are 1/3 bigger that 24 Bot files. so this does not matter much.

The graphic is misleading: the bit should be in the Y and on X the frequency. It is not complicated at all: 32 bit is the information stored at the set frequency. The sound is sampled at 32 bit 44100 times in a second. You have simply more information stored. As a consequence you have more dynamic range. The same for the pictures: more bit depth allows you to have more information stored, so you could recover details in shadows and lights. Always record audio at 32 bit if you can... and always shoot at 14 or 16 bit per channel. More bit = more information. 32 bit gives you the possibility to represent a sound in 4,294,967,296 levels against 24 bit 16,777,216. As a result you can do what you want with loud or too low sounds recorded

So the message here isn't that you shouldn't record in 32-bit float, but that folks who do should convert to 24-bit as it's still great for audio and you'll save the editors time converting your files down stream. Seems like a communication problem about workflow among people working together than an an argument for not recording in 32-bit float. Heard similar arguments 5-6 years ago about about not recording video in 4k (file sizes too big, 1080p is great, editing programs can't handle the files, etc.). Now 4k is the defect standard for most people recording video.

1. It's not a big deal to convert to 24-bit as necessary. 2. Assuming you're using high-quality equipment to record, the MOST important factor in the final quality of a recording is achieving the lowest NOISE LEVEL possible, in the recording chain & most importantly in the source. It's amazing how much a small difference in S/N changes the listener's experience.

As a filmmaker I always record in dual tracks, one track few db below, this is easily possible with a multitrack recorder using a splitter.

Depending on the D/A and how its done, 32-bit gives better room for error in filter use that will not create noise artifacts. The headroom is a bonus too, but the potential for lower noise is a big key.

32 bit float audio is the future, and it will become the new standard, so, I think it's better to push it as hard as we can so that all the manufacturers will align to it. The good thing is that likely, once this is is done, I believe it will remain unchanged for at least another 50 years, in spite of the incredible technologies we'll see in the future, if we survive :). It's one of those advancements that reaches a plateau tied to the laws of physics, that much dynamic range doesn't exist in the real world, the technology exceeded what nature can do, at least on this planet, excluding cataclysmic events, assuming that somebody wants to be there to record them :)

I record talking head videos for KZfaq with a SoundDevices MixPre 6II. I opt to record in 24-bit with the limiters set conservatively over using 32-bit. I've had people tell me "you're not getting your moneys worth with that recorder".. but in my case, 24-bit is already WAY more dynamic range than I need for dialogue, and I would argue that the analog limiters are far more 'valuable' than 32-bit (in most cases). The fact that recording in 32-bit adds extra steps in post makes it really hard to justify using. Great vid!

32-bit is the HDR of the audio world. It is like shooting in RAW or HDR or LOG formats that require further processing to be usable. But picture people not being able to load those files is just a software problem from using outdated software. The people who work in the "picture" side who can't load the files just need to get their software providers to get with the times and upgrade to handle the modern format of 32-bit. We can't live forever in the past with 24-bit, just like we no longer use tape or film much anymore except when people who have a superstitious belief in the "magic of analog" have to insist on going back in time.

Good way to look at 32bit recording vs. final usage. Appreciate it.

I don't get it... The whole reason for telling people NOT to record in a high quality format is because many people in the sound industry are still working on potato machines and potato software that can't handle 32-bit? That is like saying I shouldn't shoot RAW video because someone down the line can't play it back. That is a THEM problem, not a ME problem. Tons of programs will open and play 32-bit float audio just fine - Davinci Resolve is FREE and does this. REAPER is practically free and does this as well.Protools, the industry standard post audio workflow, also accepts and plays back 32-bit float just fine. What potato programs are sound people using that can't play back 32-bit float audio? It sounds like THEY need to invest in an upgrade instead of me limiting what I record on to fit the needs of the least common denominator.

you are wrong about 32 bit fixed. What you were talking about in the video is true about float point numbers. 32 bit will give you the same clipping distortion as 24 bit. But 32 bit float recordings would be much easier for your DAW to handle with as it always does all its processing in 32 bit float or higher. You are also wrong saying that 32 bit recordings would be MUCH MUCH larger size on your disk. 32 bit is only 33 % larger. That's not "much much" as you say. You were also wrong saying 32 bit has more dynamic range. The actual true DR of 32 bit is only 120 dB. This is easily can be proved by tests with test signals.

Okay but could you sing Chop Suey?

The bit depht is not so much about accuracy nor how weak and strong sound we can record. In the end it sets the noise floor at a defined level. If no other noise are there to do the job we apply dither noise. With dither all acuracy and such disapears and instead we are left with a perfect signal that is getting masked by the noise floor that the number of bits define. Noise is a good trade for a practically perfect signal. We hear noise as a separate sound and if we let our music fade out and we raise the volume to hear these weak sounds, the music get lower and lower and finally is perfectly masked by the noise floor. So in practise it is a fixed noise floor that is defined from the number of bits used. If no noise is used to dither the signal when such is needed, you are doing it wrong and the quantisation distortion and the limited low amplitude handling becomes real. So use dither and get rid of those problem! Dither is part of the PCM coding for audio signals. The other limitation is the sampling frequensy that sets the upper limit for frequensys that can be recorded. So PCM is limited by a noise floor and a limit for how high frequensys we can record! Pretty simple. But this is the ideal system were hardware limitations does not exist. In a real world set up. Hardware are not perfect!

I appreciate his perspective, but how many of us solo content creators have the time to do proper gain staging and ride it while recording? Ummm, zero. For us, 32 bit float is a gift from the heavens ~ press record and forget about it. I’ve purchased the Tascam X8 and Zoom F2 and my audio has improved dramatically. 32 bit is amazing!!

knickerbocker glory! Cheers for the video mate, it's just what I was looking for.

Just ran into this with a Dolby Atmos mix on Logic Pro X which automatically converted some of my 24 bit tracks to 32 bit. Distrokid does not accept 32 bit, very frustrating. You seem to be the only person on the Internet to talk about this. Even the entire ADM BWF format in the Logic Pro X documentation have zero mention of this issue. Thank you.

Thank you. Was just about to order the new Tascam Portacapture... what a timing! And after watching this, I still am going to buy that thing. I still could record 24 bit when I'm "the audio guy" but beeing a one man band for A AND V more often then not, it's a godsend. Just like continuous autofocus in camera: not really recommended if you have a focus puller :)

I have a Sound Devices Mix Pre 3 which I bought many years ago. I film live theatre, concerts and dance shows. The analogue limiters are excellent and I have never had any clipping. I don't have to screw around with the files. My Mix Pre 3 is the original without 32 bit float.

I disagree. Especially two years later. 32bit float is superior in every way.

"32-bit recordings are going to be much, much larger in size than their 24-bit counterpart"? A 32-bit sample file require exactly 33% more storage than a 24-bit sample file. That's 4 bytes per sample versus 3. Pretty simple math.

I don't agree that it causes issues on the picture editing side. They are still just Wav files, 32bit doesn't have some special codec. My experience is that video editors aren't even aware they are 32bit float and they will import into a video editor just fine. The problems arise when we get projects back from the editors, they inadvertently convert the 32bit files to 24bit and clip all the loud audio. Meaning when we get it back the audio files are destructively clipped. The problem is video editors don't understand 32bit and not bothering to look it up as they just think it's an audio issue. The solution is for video editors to keep the 32bit pipeline open. But they always bottle neck it.

I understand perfectly what do you mean. I’m not an audio professional, I do video and photography a a solo shooter. Anyway, I see this like RAW video or photos, there is room to play with but is not magical. I teach photography and media production and I always tell my students that the image need to come out of the camera as best as they can. Having the ability to record 32bit float is great, but resting in the idea that you will be able to recover anything is false. I have Rode Mic Pro and I did few test and there is point where you can’t up the audio. So, if you take care of the audio during recording, it will be less work in post saving you a lot of money! 🤷🏻‍♂️

I'm using a Portacapture X8 with dual rec. So you record a 24bit file alongside a 32bit float file. Best of both worlds. Compatibility will come, but it will only come if people push companies to start implementing it.

Great video Alex! You talked about how the post-processing workflow can be complicated when you record in 32 bit, but I would love to see some examples of how you actually edit those files. Maybe you could do a walk-through video of how to edit those 32 bit files, and how you could integrate them into a video timeline.

DAWs like Cubase process 32-bit natively. It's been like that for years now, so using 32-bit in post shouldn't be an issue. I think the problem focuses more on the knowledge gap that exist between people working on audio and the people working on video editing. Closer collaboration between video editors and audio mixers, and knowledge about each other's workflows, would certainly make the production flow faster and better. If you are a video editor, think, Is this audio file on my desk, perhaps in 32-bit? And, if you are an audio mixer, think, Should I dump a bunch of 32-bit files on the editor's desk when no editing software is capable of handling those files?

Another area it can be useful is if you post-process the audio a lot, with multiple plugins, or if you're stretching the audio pitch or time. There's more information there for these processes to work with. Specific I know, but worth knowing.

Excellent discussion to help creators with a bigger picture well outside of their domain. This covers a basic concept I learned back in the day when one had to be a chemistry major to be a photographer if I wanted to control my content. Put in the effort to master how to pick your tools and resources that are capable of the most tricks without getting in the way of the task at hand. Then capture the maximum range of data with the best accuracy and precision possible so you have a much wider range of control of editing in the darkroom ... I meant the editing software. The more things change the more they stay the same. Learn the absolute limits of your tools and master using them with fast, efficient precision and accuracy. I do not miss the era of 13 steps of chemistry controlled with extreme purity and temperature control to find out what I captured.

Thank You for the excellent discussion of 32 bit. I have a new Tascam PortaCapture and now want to find something loud and soft to record. .

32 bit float has made my content better

I feel like for camera and video people the best analogy is shooting RAW or even shooting in a Log format. If you have the time to dial things in properly, you won't really need all that dynamic range, and for the most part, it's just going to cause more of a headache with extra steps in post. Only with audio (as far as I'm aware, I'm not an expert at all here with audio) there's no "conversion LUT" equivalent.

Thanks for the Thoughts. I am now persuaded to post process & send 24 bit files when farming out my audio/video wedding work (from my newly acquired Zoom F2 recorder).

I use 32-bit at the recording stage Tascam), never in the video editor stage (Davinci), levels will be normalised to -3db and then standard compression and eq applied in Audition and converted to 24 and even 16-bit if just a voice over. Only then is it brought into Davinci.

They really aren't that much bigger. And post should know what to do with 32 bit audio. I don't really see any downsides here.

Great PSA Alex. Lately, my first technical question for sound gigs has been to contact the post or editing folks if 32-bit works with their rig. Always communicate what you're going to do. This might seem obvious for some but another PSA is that wireless Rx and Tx currently don't transmit in 32-bit so there's not much point if you're only recording with wireless lavs.

COME BACK! WE MISS YOU! ♥️♥️

32fp mode should be used ONLY if sudden very loud events are predictable. The mic preamplifier has no infinite dynamic range thus, there's a tradeoff between analogue headroom above 0dBfs and S/N ratio at lower levels. The larger allowed peaks over 0, the noisier audio at lower levels. To deal with sudden loud sounds, i still prefer to use an Y cable to feed, if available, 2 channels at 24bits with different gain settings. One set to deal with normal levels plus one 20dB lower, just in case the first channel goes over.

Great explanation of bit depth as someone who majored in computer science

I think this conversation will change when Avid MC and PT uses float point. Other systems that are already 32 or 64 bit float work just fine. Including other editors like resolve and premier won't notice the difference in work flow.

All you have to do is transpose the audio to 24 bit corrected and send that to the video editor.

If your video production suite doesn't support 32 bit float then you need to upgrade already. Making videos trying to say a 30 year old tech is somehow bad because your favorite software product or audio hardware doesn't support it is silly.

I was worried when I saw the title to this video. 32-Bit Float sounded so cool when I heard about it. I'm glad this didn't discourage me from using 32-bit, I sill see it's value, but you've reminded me to think about it critically and logically. There's a creative application- for recording that extra dynamic range, but you have convinced me that it's not an essential evolution. It's just another tool in the box. I mean, you have to edit sound and picture anyway to get it to it's finished stage, and as others have mentioned, it's like applying a grade to a RAW video. Just a little extra post processing. But there is no point in doing it unnecessarily. It's easier not having to worry about setting the gain, but every creative or technical decision is better when it's properly considered and done for a reason! Set and remember! Thank you, Alex!

I knew about the 24 bit-32 bit size thing, because I have a Zoom Livetrak L-20, yeah, 32 takes more room. The rest is new to me because I haven't yet uploaded anything or mixed anything on the laptop yet, nor have I made any music videos yet!

I am confused about one thing: more bit depth is presented as "more dynamic range", ie you can accomodate signals with more extreme variation in amplitude. But it is also presented as "more resolution", ie the same signal will be represented better and with more detail. So, if we take this to a graphic representation of amplitude vs time, in the first case you have higher Y axis maximum values, and in the second case you have the same maximum value, but with a tighter grid. I am probably missing something, but how can the same concept (bit depth) represent these two different situations?

I agree across the board with you on this. Thanks Alex!

Check with post, in my experience by now everyone is capable of ingesting 32-bit PolyWAV audio. I'd rather risk going above 0 in 32-bit than hitting the limiter (granted the analog limiters on our pro gear have been incredible for years now - but still, i'd prefer the uncompressed audio). Proper gainstaging still applies, things can still clip at the mic, at the transmitter, and at the receiver. Size is no issue, sound is still so small next to what DITs / data managers deal with for camera.

No. Not too technical, even for me. However, it doesn't seem like an argument against recording in 32 bit. Rather, it sounds like a very good argument for suggesting that those 32 bit recordings should have levels set in post and then reduced to 24 bit before being passed on. It's a bit like a photographer shooting RAW. You wouldn't supply RAW files to the client or graphic designer, but convert them to full colour.

This was a great informative video! There’s not a ton of information about 32bit and I appreciate you for diving into this. Can you please make more videos explaining how to convert 32 bit to 24 but or programs to handle 32 bit? Thank you so much

panasonic just released the GH7 with 32 bit...my bet going forward all cameras will have 32 bit recording....I cannot see any reason to record in 24 bit...32 bit solves a ton of problems...I went out on Sunday and recorded 2 hours of video...forgot to set levels and all my audio is garbage...clipping everywhere...with 32 bit I press on and that is it...

Great video! But I have a question: If we record at 32-bit, using the correct equipment for it, but for some reason we clip the audio by surpassing the SPL of the microphone, this 32-bit won't matter at all, right?

It'd be nice if you make a video on how to convert 32-bit to 24-bit properly, like those car situation you mentioned

It's sort of interesting how apparently many DAWs don't handle 32bit float files while plugins like VST3 use 32/64bit float. However, even that it doesn't mean all plugins would understand what's going on. Some plugins might even cap the dynamic range within the plugin to 16bit fixed-point equivalent.

Solid perspective. I've yet to exceed the capabilities of my 1st gen Mix Pre 3 recorder but it's good to know that I'm not really missing out. I really liked that comment on chain of custody. Our recent audio stem exchange taught me a lot about audio collaboration.

I guess where you are in the chain of production and post-production is key here. As a sound designer and someone in film post-production, 32bit Float is a game changer. And as I'm the only one having to directly use the audio files, there is no real downside to using 32bit Float: I can record with a lot more freedom in the recording process and not have to worry about it being incompatable for anyone else.

I used to sync up a Roland VS studio 100 SDHC recorder at 32 bit Floating point 96 kHz. It’s saved by bacon many times when sudden and unexpected hi SPL input was captured. I now record everything at 24-bit 48.1 kHz and then just dither 16 bit 44.1 if requested, A 24 bit at 48.1 is pretty much the capture rate everybody expects now for on location and in studio. Thanks for the video

I think for a standard KZfaq video or Podcast where your volume is pretty much level across then yes, 32 bit float is overkill. But if I'm recording a rain forest where I need to capture everything from the raindrops to lightning, or a wedding where I need to capture people whispering, giggling and people shouting, I like having 32 bit float. Also the size differential is inconsequential (it's not a deterrent) and I'd much rather have the power of having 32 bit float recording. Honestly the moment I began using the Zoom F6 I can't turn back, it's a game changer - it has increased my workflow and speed because it's practically impossible to mess up a recording with 32 bit float.

to be fair its the same as a good camera, you can shoot raw but to be honest unless you need the extra data you will probably do fine with jpgs and a filter. 32bit should not be standard but should be on all semi pro devices by default

This is a bizarre criticism of 32 bit. Particularly that Avid and Protools has problems with it. They have problems with Log3 too, so are you not going to use wide range original recording to accommodate Digidesign? The professional attitude is that if you screw up the sound, you don't work again. As for space and processing power, it's a joke today. If there is no quality issue, then the choice is a no-brainer. Clipping is only one issue among many. 32bit also gives you a much greater ability to compress sound in post into the "Zone" without artifacts and overcooking the sound.

Some microphones now that have 32 bit float can't even record loud sounds because their hardware clips out before the software ever does.

Whenever I record anything of any value whatsoever, the first thing I do is post-process the audio levels, ALC, compression etc. So should EVERYONE else who cares about basic fundamental sound integrity and so really there are no real down-side to 32 bit recording, while at the same time providing a safety net against mistakes at acquisition time. This applies so long as you have reasonably good equipment such as a Rode NT1-5th gen microphone or other capture device with a good dynamic range and low noise-floor. People who have trashy microphones would of course be fine in 16 bits but that's a different video ;o\

So good. So useful. Real world info. Thanks Alex.

Very helpful. Thanks!

This helps me. Thanks Alex.

Got baited. I am going to invest in a 32bit recorder this year. Not clipping is invaluable when running and gunning. The question regarding if you need it or not. It’s like shooting Jpg or RAW. It’s just a matter of personal preference. If the customer doesn’t demands it you don’t need it. A professional should able to deliver regardless of tools and situation.

"The First Day of Post" AE: Oh no, these audio files won't import into Avid, wtf! Post Super: Let me call the PM. [10 minutes later] Post Super: The sound guy says please convert the files to 24 bit before importing. ...And scene! Yes, be very concerned!

So I don't have a 32 bit recorder and did a marketing event... And they were changing the levels up and down all over the place... 32 bit wouldn't have solved every issue but it would have assured me the files won't get too quiet or too loud. Both of which happened for me. Obviously there's other stuff you can do, like hire an extra person (increase budget) or ensure there's a technician on duty and not just the bar staff guessing how it all works... Anyway. Personally the conclusion of this video is: 32 bit is better but life would have gone on without it. Well.... You could say that about anything. This is clearly a better tool than 24 but recording.

Dudes will literally extend their dynamic range past the point the human that the human ear can withstand before bursting and down to the level of atoms vibrating suspended in fluids before they will learn to gain stage. "It's not loud enogh" dude literally turn your tracks down and your monitors up

Thank you for the info! I haven’t had issues with editing in Resolve with 32bit audio, but good to know.

Really great to hear a professional speaking to the usefulness of tech specs. In "gear-land" we often get so caught up in we could, we don't stop to ask whether or not we should...

What is the best, efficient conversion process for saving the 32-bit files to 24-bit files?

Once I got your drift, I realized I wouldn’t know how to take a 32-bit floating point encoded audio file and convert it to the standard 24-bit specification file. Thanks to you, I still don’t know how to do that. Thanks for nothing.

So what I'm hearing is there's some Growing Pains here in the early days of 32 bit recording. I remember when I didn't like HD video. haha

awesome video that is very useful - Thank you!