16-Bit vs 24-Bit Audio: Which Bit Depth Should You Export?

You hit export and your DAW asks one more question: 16-bit, 24-bit or 32-bit float? Pick the wrong one and you either lose quality you can never get back, or you send your distributor a file it does not expect. The good news: the right answer is simple once you know what each option is for.

Quick answer

  • Recording vocals or instruments: 24-bit. It is the standard in most DAWs and gives you plenty of room for quiet and loud parts.
  • Sending a mix to a mastering engineer, or stems to a mixer: 24-bit or 32-bit float, without dither, at the same sample rate as your session.
  • Your final master for Spotify, Apple Music and other streaming: 24-bit WAV or FLAC if that is your native master. Only use 16-bit if no higher version exists.
  • A 16-bit file for CD or a device that needs it: export 16-bit from your 24-bit or 32-bit master and add dither once, at that last step.

What bit depth actually means

Sample rate is how many times per second your audio is measured. Bit depth is how precisely each of those measurements is stored. More bits means more possible volume steps between silence and the loudest point, so more room before the quietest details turn into noise.

Apple puts numbers on it in the Logic Pro recording settings guide:

  • 16-bit has a dynamic range of 96 dB (without dithering) and can produce quantization distortion at very low levels.
  • 24-bit is the most commonly used bit depth, with a dynamic range of 144 dB and virtually no quantization distortion. The files are 50 percent larger than 16-bit.
  • 32-bit float files are 33 percent larger than 24-bit. Their big advantage, according to Apple: if a recording clipped digitally, you can often fix it just by lowering the gain of the region.

Want the sample rate side of the story? Read 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz: which sample rate to use.

16-bit vs 24-bit vs 32-bit float side by side

16-bit

The CD standard. Apple's Apple Digital Masters guide calls 16-bit 44.1 kHz the standard for CDs. Image-Line describes it in the FL Studio export manual as the highest-quality format that works on a wide range of playback devices. It is a fine format to listen to, but not the best one to keep working on.

24-bit

The workhorse. Record in 24-bit, deliver your master in 24-bit. Apple says 24-bit recording has become the norm because it gives you more headroom and more total dynamic range, and asks for 24-bit sources for Apple Digital Masters.

32-bit float

This is the format your DAW mixes in behind the scenes. Image-Line calls it the native format of FL Studio's mix engine and recommends rendering to 32-bit float when you plan to keep mixing or editing the file in another program. Think: bouncing a beat to send to a mixer, or printing a vocal to process further. It is less useful as a final release file, because streaming guidelines talk about 24-bit and 16-bit masters.

Which bit depth should you export?

For recording

Set your DAW to 24-bit and forget about it. In Logic Pro you find it under Logic Pro > Settings > Recording, in the Bit Depth menu. Recording at 24-bit means you can leave some space below 0 dB without worrying about noise, which helps you avoid clipping. More on that in how to prevent clipping when you record.

For mixing and mastering

Sending a beat, stems or a full mix to someone else? Export 24-bit or 32-bit float, keep the same sample rate as your project and leave dither off. The next person is going to process the file again, so you want to give them the most detail possible. Also leave some room on your master bus: see how much headroom to leave for mastering.

For streaming (Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube)

You upload through a distributor, not directly to Spotify, but the platforms are clear about what they want. Spotify for Artists asks for 24-bit if that is your native master, and 16-bit only if no higher bit depth master exists. Spotify also says: do not reduce bit depth before delivery, they handle conversions themselves. Apple says the same thing in its own words: send 24-bit sources and the highest resolution master you have.

So if you mastered in 24-bit, deliver 24-bit. Do not make a 16-bit copy just for streaming. Always check the upload specs of your own distributor too.

For CD or other 16-bit uses

Some things still need 16-bit, like a CD. Then you export a 16-bit version from your high-resolution master, with dither turned on.

What is dither, and when do you use it?

When you go from more bits to fewer bits, the smallest details get rounded off. That rounding can cause distortion in very quiet passages, like a reverb tail fading out. Dither adds a tiny amount of noise that masks those rounding errors. Image-Line describes it as replacing quantization errors with background hiss.

Three simple rules:

  1. Only dither when you reduce bit depth. Apple's Logic Pro bounce guide recommends dithering when you bounce 24-bit recordings to 16-bit files.
  2. Dither only once. Both Apple and Image-Line warn against dithering the same audio more than once. So no dither on stems or on a mix that still goes to mastering.
  3. Trust your ears. Apple notes that in some cases the best result is no dither at all. On loud modern rap or trap masters the difference is usually tiny. On quiet fades and acoustic songs you are more likely to hear it.

How to set bit depth in your DAW

Logic Pro

  1. Go to File > Bounce > Project or Section.
  2. Choose PCM as the destination and pick WAV or AIFF.
  3. Set Resolution to 24-bit (or 32-bit float for files that still need mixing).
  4. Only turn on Dithering when you bounce to 16-bit.

The full export flow, step by step: how to export a beat in Logic Pro.

FL Studio

  1. Go to File > Export > Wave file.
  2. Under the WAV options, choose 24-bit integer or 32-bit float.
  3. Only enable Dither when you export a 16-bit file.

More export tips, including stems: how to export a beat in FL Studio.

Common bit depth mistakes

  • Converting 16-bit to 24-bit and calling it an upgrade. The file gets bigger, but the detail that was rounded off is not coming back. The same goes for turning an MP3 into a WAV: read WAV to MP3: what you lose.
  • Dithering every bounce. Stems, rough mixes and pre-masters do not need dither. Only the final step down to 16-bit does.
  • Sending a 16-bit file to your mastering engineer. Give them 24-bit or 32-bit float so they have the full picture.
  • Thinking bit depth fixes a bad mix. A harsh or muddy vocal sounds exactly the same in 24-bit. That is a job for your recording and your mix.

Convert a file to the right bit depth for free

Need a 16-bit WAV of your track, for example for a CD or a device that does not play high-resolution files? The free audio converter turns WAV, MP3, M4A, FLAC, AIFF and OGG into a 16-bit WAV at 44.1 or 48 kHz. Everything runs in your browser, so nothing gets uploaded.

Need 24-bit WAV or FLAC, or want to convert a whole folder of exports at once? Audio Converter Pro adds 24-bit WAV and FLAC and batch conversion to a single ZIP. One-time payment, no subscription.

Master ready? Check the loudness and true peak with the free master checker before you upload, and read how many LUFS you need for Spotify.

FAQ

Does 24-bit sound better than 16-bit?

For listening to a finished, loud master, most people will not hear a difference. The real advantage of 24-bit is while you work: more room for recording, processing and mastering without noise or rounding errors. That is why you record and master in 24-bit.

Is 32-bit float better than 24-bit?

For files that still need work, yes: 32-bit float is what your DAW mixes in and it is very forgiving with levels. For a final master you deliver to a distributor, 24-bit is what streaming guidelines ask for.

What bit depth does Spotify use?

Spotify asks for 24-bit if that is your native master, or 16-bit only when no higher master exists. Spotify handles bit depth reduction for playback itself, so you do not need to do it for them.

Should I dither when exporting at 24-bit?

Generally no. Apple and Image-Line both describe dither as a step for reducing to 16-bit. Exporting at 24-bit or 32-bit float from your DAW does not need it.

What bit depth should a beat be when I send it to an artist?

A 24-bit WAV at the sample rate of your project is a safe choice. Then the artist can record on it and the mix engineer has a high-quality file to work with.

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