Signal resolution · bit-depth

Noise floor by format

Each extra bit adds roughly 6 dB of dynamic range. The noise floor is the quietest signal the format can represent before quantization noise takes over.

FormatNoise floorWhere it lives
64-bit float ≈ −300 dB Internal DAW buses. Rounding errors are inaudible at any real-world level — treat headroom as infinite.
32-bit float ≈ −150 dB Working & bounce format. Captures every move you make. No dither needed between float-to-float stages.
24-bit integer ≈ −144 dB Delivery master (streaming, archival). Requires one dither pass when converting from 32-bit float.
16-bit integer ≈ −96 dB CD / legacy. Always a separate export with its own dither pass — never share the dither with your 24-bit master.
Nuendo workflow · 2-pass system

Sample-rate conversion + dither in two separate passes

Never combine SRC and dither in a single export. SRC introduces rounding noise; dither smooths that noise to the bit boundary. Do them in order — SRC first at full float depth, dither second at the target rate.

Pass 01 Sample-rate conversion only — no dither
  • Start in your 192 kHz / 32-bit float project.
  • File > Export > Audio Mixdown — Sample Rate: 44.100 kHz, Bit Depth: 32-bit float.
  • Confirm Lin Dither is off on the master bus. No dither at this stage.
  • Export. Result: a 44.1 kHz / 32-float file — rate-converted, noise floor still at ≈ −150 dB.
Pass 02 Dither at the target rate
  • Create a new project at 44.1 kHz: Project > Project Setup → Sample Rate: 44.100 kHz. Import the Pass 01 file.
  • On the output bus, post-fader insert: Mastering > Lin Dither, set to 16-bit.
  • File > Export > Audio Mixdown — Sample Rate: 44.100 kHz (no conversion this time, source already matches), Bit Depth: 16-bit.
  • Export. Dither applied exactly once, at the correct rate.
Why two passes? SRC changes sample values and introduces tiny rounding noise. Dither shapes that noise to the bit boundary. If you do both in one export, you're dithering before the SRC rounding has happened — the dither lands in the wrong place, and the SRC then adds its own noise on top of it.