What's the difference between 16 bit and 24 bit Audio Interface?

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Captainjazz123

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I have a 16 bit Audio Interface and it works perfectly with my DAW, but a friend of mine told me to invest in a 24 bit Interface.
What's the difference? I'd like to get the Akai EIE Pro.
 
ObiK said:
8 bits. 16 is CD quality. 24 is studio quality.
Click to expand...

it's a little more complicated than that, obi....

those 8 bits translate into 256 unique amplitude points that a 24 bit interface has for every amplitude point that 16 bit interface has -> a 24 bit interface is 256 times as accurate in its representation of a waveform as a 16 bit interface.

What the above misses though is that the DACs and ADCs - the devices that convert your sound from digital to analogue and analogue to digital - are respectively 24 bit or 16 bit - this can make a great deal of difference in the perceived smoothness or chunkiness of the final sound. Add to the bit depth the sampling rate(s) your interface is capable of and you have a better picture of the possibilities
 
the A/D and the D/A converters on the audio interface
Analog to Digital and Digital to Analog
24bit converters are standard for pro audio interfaces
I don't even know they still sold audio interfaces with 16 bit converters

I suggest you keep your interface
and invest in some flat response studio monitors first and then some acoustic treatment
and then upgrade your audio interface since it's doing you just fine for now



-Coach Antonio
 
A 24bit interface allows you to record at a bit depth of 24 bits as opposed to 16 bits. The noise floor in a 24 bit recording is lower than it is in 16 bits; this just means that (assuming equal recording levels), the noise which is inherent in audio signals is further away from the audio that you want to hear, which allows you to bring up the gain and process the signal more before the noise becomes noticeable. This is why 24 bit recording is considered superior to 16 bit.
 
the devices that convert your sound from digital to analogue and analogue to digital
 
I guess the easiest way to put it is that 24-bit recording makes your life a lot easier. There are still - mostly out of ignorance - "rumours" going around stemming from the 16-bit & tape days that you have to record a "hot" signal - ie. pushing the recording levels to as close to 0dBfs as possible, which simply isn't true when recording in 24-bit. With 16-bit, the dynamic range and thus the noise floor was much narrower, and it made sense to push the levels, but with 24-bit you can record at much lower levels and still need not to worry about noise.
 
bandcoach said:
it's a little more complicated than that, obi....

those 8 bits translate into 256 unique amplitude points that a 24 bit interface has for every amplitude point that 16 bit interface has -> a 24 bit interface is 256 times as accurate in its representation of a waveform as a 16 bit interface.

What the above misses though is that the DACs and ADCs - the devices that convert your sound from digital to analogue and analogue to digital - are respectively 24 bit or 16 bit - this can make a great deal of difference in the perceived smoothness or chunkiness of the final sound. Add to the bit depth the sampling rate(s) your interface is capable of and you have a better picture of the possibilities
Click to expand...
Any suggestions on what audio interface I should get?
I was looking at either the Motu 4pre or the Tack 16.
 
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