10. Re: 24 bit vs. 16 bit

["David Ellsworth" davidells]

Recording at -40dB saturation would indeed make
24 bits helpful and even necessary. But why, in
the first place, is the hardware gain not
sufficient to bring the signal closer to
saturation? I don't know, but perhaps giving a
recorder more hardware gain involves compromises.
In this case I can certainly see how it would
make sense to let a 24-bit ADC make up for the inadequate gain.

But if increasing hardware gain is not an option,
why not implement it at the software/firmware
level =97 i.e., digital gain? The signal would be
multiplied after going through the 24-bit ADC,
and then truncated to 16 bits. Of course, if
you're already using 24-bit recording and it
works fine for you, this idea is of little
importance. But I just thought I'd mention it since it hasn't come up yet.