What is dither noise?

So, what is dither? It’s a form of low-level noise that is intentionally added to a digital audio file as it’s rendered to a lower bit depth. The concept of dithering might seem counterintuitive, but it’s an effective process.

What is shaped dithering?

Shaped dither is noise with a carefully contoured frequency content that puts most of the randomization at frequencies we can hear least easily. Shaped dither is the least audible at normal levels of amplification and is the default for the “High-quality conversion” setting.

When should I use dither?

You only need to use dither when bouncing a file at a lower bit-depth than it was recorded. You should always apply dither when bouncing a 16-bit file from a 24 or 32-bit mix. Technically, you do not need to apply dither when bouncing a 24-bit file from a 32-bit float session, as it has the same bit depth.

What is the purpose of dithering?

Dither is an intentionally applied form of noise used to randomize quantization error, preventing large-scale patterns such as color banding in images. Dither is routinely used in processing of both digital audio and video data, and is often one of the last stages of mastering audio to a CD.

Should I use dithering in logic?

Without getting too heavily into the maths, dithering is a process which enables us to move from one bit depth to another without losing too much fidelity. Often audio recorded and produced within Logic is 24 bit, this audio will need to be reduced to 16 bit for distribution, this is where dithering comes in.

What is noise shape master?

Noise shaping is the combination of dithering and equalization, used to both cover quantization noise, and push any noise created by dithering into less perceivable areas of the frequency spectrum. With the use of noise shaping, dithering can be applied, while theoretically reducing the overall perceivable noise floor.

What is frequency dithering?

The frequency dithering technique reduces the narrowband EMI by spreading out the noise spectrum of the power supply. There are limitations on how much the oscillator frequency (fS) can be dithered. Some of the limiting factors are switching losses and magnetic design.

Who invented dithering?

Floyd–Steinberg dithering is an image dithering algorithm first published in 1976 by Robert W. Floyd and Louis Steinberg. It is commonly used by image manipulation software, for example when an image is converted into GIF format that is restricted to a maximum of 256 colors.