When working in 16 bit and 24 bit sample recording, if the gain is not set properly, the recording may “clip” causing the recording to lose information by being too loud and distorted for the mic to handle.
What should this feature achieve?
32 bit float fixes this issue allowing you to never worry about gain while recording again. The primary benefit of 32-bit float is its ability to handle signals that exceed 0 dBFS (full scale) without clipping, as the internal processing can later reduce the level and restore the original peak information, which is particularly useful during complex audio processing within a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). This provides significant headroom during mixing and mastering, allowing engineers to apply effects or boost levels without fear of distortion, although the final output must still be properly managed to avoid clipping when converted back to a fixed-point format like 24-bit.
Are there any workarounds?
You could set the gain properly before recording. However, there is still a risk of losing quality due to recording the sample too low, and then trying to boost the recording which also boosts any noise or background sounds in the recording.
Any links to related discussions?Any references to other products?
32 bit float recording has been available in a number of professional recording devices for years. An example of a budget device that can record 32 bit float is the Zoom H1 XLR Handheld Recorder.
Thanks for your feature request, but i have my doubts that we will see this on the current iteration, as this is also hardware dependent. And i‘m pretty sure 32 bit was not on their minds when they created them.
While i think this would be awesome and every device should support 32bit recording, just wanted to be realistic and curb the expectations a little
Thanks for the message @Sandroid I’ve actually been here for 5 years but my main account got deleted after so much time it seems. One of my feature requests related to Sidechaining got implemented back in the day. As for your response, I think it is hard to speak about Polyend’s capabilities without being part of their team, so I remain optimistic that this will happen eventually. This deals more with software than hardware actually. Let me give you a rough example:
File Size by Bit Depth (stereo, 44.1 kHz, 1 minute of audio)
16-bit PCM → ~10 MB
24-bit PCM → ~15 MB
32-bit float → ~20 MB
(rough numbers, but scales linearly with time/sample rate/channels)
As you can see, the jump from 24 bit to 32 bit is similar to the jump from 16 bit to 24 bit (for which they already support). There isn’t any hardware that would need to change (you can record 32 bit float with any mic, so the current Mini would support it.) So basically it is just updating the firmware to support 32 bit float recording and adding a converter to downscale to 24 bit (once you have normalized the sample) to save on working storage. Hopefully that helps explain the hardware and software side of 32 bit float!
@Sandroid I mean all manner of 32 bit float integration from recording from a mic, stereo recording, support for importing 32 bit float files, the ability to normalize the files, and to convert 32 bit float files to 24 bit. I would even suggest that they prevent you from adding a 32 bit float file as an instrument so that it doesn’t make the project workload tougher. You should be able to select the file, normalize it, and then load it as a 24 bit instrument. As far as the line-in and mic, absolutely they should allow you to record directly to 32 bit float. Hopefully, that helps!
Ah ok, then yes it actually can be limited by the available hardware.
While the MCU (micro controller unit) might support 32 bit, if the ADC/DAC (analog/digital converters) do not support 32 bit floats, then you are stuck at whatever they support.
And i believe the current converters (input as well as outputs) do not support 32 bit floats. At best i think they maybe support 24bit.
@Sandroid Hey Sandroid, I’m sure a Polyend techy can give better insight to the limitations of current hardware/software in the OG, +, and Mini in regards to 32 bit float. I appreciate the interest in my feature request from you, and hopefully I have sparked enough interest to earn a vote towards seeing this implemented.
This really isn’t anything new, in fact 32 bit float recording has been around for years. Looking forward to Polyend either updating their firmware to support 32 bit float or implementing 32 bit float in their next line of products. If it is not included in the Anniversary Edition of the Tracker Mini, they may be a “bit” behind the times and should plan to implement it in the near future.
I’ve actually been here for 5 years but my main account got deleted after so much time it seems. One of my feature requests related to Sidechaining got implemented back in the day. As for your response, I think it is hard to speak about Polyend’s capabilities without being part of their team, so I remain optimistic that this will happen eventually. This deals more with software than hardware actually. Let me give you a rough example:
