Hey Bit-Depth Guyz!! Read This!

DaSoundGuy wrote on 4/27/2002, 4:26 PM
No one has ever answered this question:

Does Vegas do its internal processing at the project bit depth? If you set 24-bits as your project bit-depth, does Vegas in fact switch it's internal mix nodes to a higher bit-depth? What's the point of recording at 24 if it's reduced to 16 before it's even mixed?

Because Vegas resamples on the fly and is closely tied in to the OS, I suspect it resamples everything to 16-bits internally. I always find Logic under ASIO and ProTools sound cleaner and more detailed in comparison, regardless of the bit-depth in Vegas, and they tell will tell you their internal audio engines are 32 bits or more.

I have no hard data. But I do know that every time this seemingly important question has come up, it is ALWAYS ignored by SF.

Tanx

DSG

Comments

Chienworks wrote on 4/27/2002, 7:40 PM
Actually SF has replied to this several times lately here, and also in the ACID and Sound Forge forums. All Sonic Foundry software processes audio data at 32 bits internally, no matter what the project bit depth is set for.
Angels wrote on 4/28/2002, 9:19 AM
Yep here it is:

http://www.sonicfoundry.com/forums/ShowMessage.asp?Forum=1&MessageID=95261
ramallo wrote on 4/28/2002, 3:56 PM
Hello,

>Because Vegas resamples on the fly and is closely tied in to the OS, I suspect it >resamples everything to 16-bits internally. I always find Logic under ASIO and >ProTools sound cleaner and more detailed in comparison, regardless of the bit->depth in Vegas, and they tell will tell you their internal audio engines are 32 >bits or more.

I feel exactly the opposite, for me, the mixes made with Vegas are more open and punchy than the Nuendo (I'm work now with this two NLE), but this apreciation is very subjetive. Usually I record with Nuendo (I use Nuendo only by the hability for punch on fly and low latency) and mix in Vegas (More confortable).


A related 16 bit bug, are the kmixer 16 bit bug, kmixer of Windows 2000 pro, Windows XP (Without "Windows Messenger Update for Audio/Video" pach) and Windows ME. But, this is a problem related to sound cards with driver that uses the kmixer (Like WMD drivers).

Your feeling of quality lost will be by the sound card, if you uses a 24 bits sound card with an Asio NLE, this NLE aplication take the control over you sound card via Asio driver, and you will be a real 24 bits output. But if you uses a Windows driver that uses the kmixer, you can have a 16 bit output, and in very few cases, you feel a poor quality with 16 bits than 24 bits (Isn't usual). This is a theory but despites me the best sound performace with the Protools.

My last idea are: Is very dificult make the same mix with diferent software

Regards
pwppch wrote on 4/29/2002, 10:15 PM
We have NEVER ignored such questions. I have personally answered this question dozens of times.

If you have asked it and it wasn't answered, that was because it has been answered repeatedly.

It is also in the FAQ.

So as to make you happy: Vegas (and ACID) use 32 bit normalized floating point - and always has.

What does being closely tied to the OS have to do with any of this?

Peter