Changing from 96 kHz 24 bit to 44.1 kHz 16 bit

[mhubing]

Hi,

  I recorded a song in Logic Pro X at 96 kHz 24 bit.

I'm trying to prepare the project so I can bounce a wav file to submit through CDBaby who requires that the wav file be 44.1 kHz 16 bit.

  I'm a novice/amateur home-recording artist and am out of my element here trying to format this properly.

I changed the project rate from 96 kHz to 44.1 kHz and I did a copy/convert on all files from 96 (and I think I recorded everything in 24 bit) to 44.1 and 16 bit.  

Now during playback, some things sound good, some regions are cut short, and other things (like vocals) sound like squirrels.

 

Please help

-Mark

  

[des99]

I'm not sure why you are doing this?

Take your source project @ 96KHz, and bounce the mix, and specify the required settings in the bounce dialog - Logic will bounce out your song at the required settings for your destination formats. That's the point of being able to specify the format and quality you want for your song.

While you're there you can also bounce out mp3's, or different quality WAV files etc - whatever you need.

Also, if you are a novice/amateur home recordist (which is great!), I'm not sure why you are recording at 96KHz to begin with, unless you have a super treated expensive home studio that can rival the pro studios. (If so, I'm jealous! 🙂 ) But if you just chose this sample rate because of a "bigger numbers must be better" thing, then it's not, and I recommend you work at 48 or 44.1KHz/24-bit - that's all the quality you will need.

Or is there a specific reason you've chosen 96KHz?

Edited May 24, 2023 by des99

[triplets]

To add to what des99 said, don't forget to dither whenever you're going from 24 bit to 16 bit in the bounces.

Edited May 28, 2023 by triplets

[mhubing]

Thank you, des99 and Triplets!!! des99, I have been recording at 96 off a suggestion by someone.  It seems that was a poor suggestion.

  I see now that I don't need to change to project in order to bounce to the desired format.

Now I have a different issue.  Since I changed the project format and copy/converted the files, everything's all jacked up...

  I tried restoring a saved version of the project but that didn't reformat the files.  So, I did another copy/convert on all the files to the original 96kHz where I started.  But everything's all jacked up:  some regions are short and out of place and some vocals still sound like squirrels.

  How can I get back to the original project?

[des99]

You didn't do that work on a copy of the project? Did you back up the project before messing with it that you can revert to?

If not, you have the files you have, and you'll have to make the best of it, regardless of what you've done...

Edited May 30, 2023 by des99

[TheUncannyValley]

On 5/24/2023 at 2:22 PM, mhubing said:

Hi,

I recorded a song in Logic Pro X at 96 kHz 24 bit...

...Now during playback, some things sound good, some regions are cut short, and other things (like vocals) sound like squirrels...

Don't feel bad, I've done that too. This is how we learn.

Unfortunately for me, I did it on a remix for a band I really like and it was only my second time doing any kind of remix at all, for anyone. I oversold myself. Their singer was cool about it, but I'm sure it got played for laughs at some point later on.

I made sure to understand sample rates and bit-depth & dithering after that. I hope you're able to recover most or all of your work. 🙂