24-bit vs 16-bit processing on the TDM Bus in Pro Tools. (Bounce To Disk included.)
Since the TDM Bus is a 24 bit data path, all plug-ins except Procrastinator 16, process audio at 24 bit resolution. After the signal has been processed at 24 bit, the audio is truncated to 16 bits and passed to the D/A convertor. If Dither is in place, TDM will dither the audio rather than truncate bits to the 16 bit level. In other words, to retain the highest quality level of sound, Dither should be used on the final output.Bouncing is under the same limitations. Once the audio is brought into the TDM environment and processed, you will have a 24 bit process. When the bounce occurs, the 8 least significant bits (LSB) will be truncated resulting in a 16 bit file on disk. Dither should also be used in this process to retain the highest level of fidelity during the bounce.
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