Game-changer: Demonstrating How 32-Bit Float Recording Works
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ก.ค. 2024
- In this video, RØDE Marketing Director and Tonmeister, Dan Woodall demonstrates how 32-bit float recording works with the RØDE NT1 5th Generation. The new RØDE NT1 5th Generation is the world’s first microphone with a 32-bit float digital output, essentially making it impossible to clip your audio while recording.
Check out Part 1: • Game-changer: How 32-B...
Download the audio sample here: edge.rode.com/zip/page/2125/m...
Order the NT1 5th Gen: rode.com/en/microphones/studi... - ภาพยนตร์และแอนิเมชัน
The performance of this microphone has much more to do with the fact that it uses four preamps and four ADCs in parallel and then switches between them for the final output, rather than the fact that the final output happens to be in 32-bit floating point.
This. 32bit float is just a convenience, but a technically very useful one. You never exceed a nose floor that will ( with proper gain ) exceed 24 bits. A f32 mantissa has 23 bits and the exponent 8, you can have perfect gain with each of the 4 preamp / adc stages and pack them neatly with a well balanced decision rule (probably just based on rms and peak). Depending on the implementation you could also stack the most significant bits of each ADC and gain them just right for that. Probably somewhere in between.
If you just recorded 4 separate takes, you could build a vector of 4 times 24 bit but that would be just wasteful and needs further processing. Neatly packing the data into 32f words is the way to go for ease of use and compatibility. You will not gain the theoretical maximum dynamic range of 32f but you don't need that since that much SPL will kill you anyway.
Yes, but only the 32float make it accessible.
The final output being in 32-bit float is a bit more than happenstance, at least from what I can tell. Like, yes, the majority of the performance is due to the 4 parallel preamps and ADCs, but as I see it there's really only 3 ways to deliver that performance to the computer.
Option #1 is to output a standard 24-bit signal and switch between ADCs according to some switching logic. In that case, the quiet bits of your talking come through louder and the loud bits of your talking come through quieter, but just imagine what would happen to your signal when the noise is hovering right near one of the switching thresholds. Either there be some sort of switching delay to prevent overly rapid switching which would allow you to still clip the mic, or your output stream could end up basically vibrating and leaving the mixer with a hellish repair job smoothing the levels as the mic has a spasmatic attack trying to figure out which ADC gets sent to your computer each moment.
Option #2 is to output 4 parallel 24-bit signals; one for each ADC, and then rely on the recording engineer to set 4 parallel recording tracks and cut splice the 4 tracks as they choose. Not much technical issues with this option, but it does greatly reduce the convenience factor.
And Option #3 is a 32-bit float signal.
So glad to see such an awesome explanation of 32 bit float! I was really intimidated by it, but it’s overall pretty simple and super practical.
Cheers Tom! Dan knows his stuff
I am the most mild tempered person. ... The whispering raised the hairs on my neck and triggered primal rage not felt in decades. the boiling point rising with every consonant click and pop of the mouth. Truly unpleasant. Great videos by the way. Suggests shortening the whispers to a couple words instead of paragraphs.
The mic they used is only $250! I’m definitely going to get one, awesome job as always Rodes!
Thanks for the support, Zach!
I agree wholeheartedly. Having the XLR connection with USB C is exceptionally flexible and important. I am buying one too.
Good job, Mr Dan, mission accomplished. 2 new buyers already.
I as shocked at how cheap the mic is, they could charge $1,000 for it.
Don't be fooled it's better to get a wireless lavalier For ease of movement and almost the same quality😅
I've been audio editing for 2 decades and I never really saw 32-bit float THIS way! I'm blown away!
When I did my first digital audio location recording 39 years ago, it was basically a 14 bit system. Times have changed...!
@Peter Nicholls 14-bit? I've never come across that! Oh wow. You're such a legend! I'm honored!
32-bit float is the endgame. Nobody will ever need anything more. This goes well beyond the limits of human hearing with over 1,500 decibels of dynamic range; the loudest recorded event on Earth I think was around 1,200 decibels (a volcano erupting). About the only time we'll need more than that is if a nuke dropped and we wanted to record the explosion, but being dead doesn't really grant us the "pleasure" of hearing it in all its dark glory if ever technology managed, say, 64-bit float.
When you said "(...) it's a bit like RAW-shooting on a camera(...)" I got it and thanked God. But then when I heard the examples, I thought it was divine! Delicious. Thanks!
This is absolutely incredible! I've been teaching audio engineering with a specific focus on voiceover performance for the past couple of years, and the gain staging for both actor and engineer has been a painful point to try to teach remotely, especially to newcomers to the industry - this, however, looks like it could take SO MUCH of the guesswork away from the workflow (granted their recording space is treated adequately, of course)
This is a game freaking changer. Specially for solo musicians like singers this is ....i'm out of words.
🙌
Oh god, how it recovered the clipped part is just mindblowing.
It was clipping only on playback, so there was no real recovery process, just a change in gain that made it possible to play back the audio without clipping.
@@kelainefes You can't just turn down audio that's clipping to fix it. If the initial recording goes beyond the dynamic range allowed by your DAW, it's useless and unrecoverable. This technology eliminates that problem entirely.
@@BigDaddyWes we are saying the same thing.
This looks amazing. I still have my first generation Rode NT-1 in battleship gray, and I have captured some great sounds with it. But this is like the atomic force microscope of sound!
Absolutely superb. Solves a ton of audio issues really easily. And thanks for the vid!
Absolutely amazing! I’ve never heard this explained before.
Pfew, just bought a Rode NT1-A before watching this video. I’m happy to hear 32-bit float recording is in this mic. Looking forward to have my first recording with this mic.
The NT1-A does not have the internal ADC circuitry. It can clip if the input exceeds 137dB, or if gain on your mic preamp is up too high. It’s a good idea to leave 18~12dB headroom on your mic pre. That still gives a 21-22bit resolution from a 24bit ADC, which is much higher than the human hearing-safe dynamic range. Record to 32-bit float files if possible. It offers some advantages down the line, but can't fix a file that has clipped at the mic, the mic pre, or ADC. The NT1 5th gen has an SPL of 142dB, and the NT1-A is 137dB. Either mic can clip if the input exceeds those levels.
AMAZING, TRUE 32 BIT FLOAT RECORDING!!! THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR THIS DEMONSTRATION!!!!
it was long overdue, thanks Rode!
Thanks Nick!
I am impressed with the functionality of this microphone 🎤:)
Finally a decent explanation of 32 bit float! Thank you!
The BEST explanation of 32 bit float, at all. Thank you so much !!!!
Glad it was helpful!
Wow. I have an NT-1 and I couldn't be more thrilled with it
Stoked you love it!
That's a mic and setup beyond my needs, but I still found this video very interesting. Always great to see Rode continually developing their product range.
Thanks for the love Julian 😊
The mic is only $250
Amazing!!! You guys are doing great work!
Wish i knew this was released i just replaced my NT1a after 15 years working 1000s of songs by 100s of artists it has finally packed in. We have a shiny new one that replaced it but i would of opted for trying this out if i knew it was released! Allways stood by RODE Mics! Cheers for this demo ! Would love to try it out with our Scottish Rappers!
Thanks for the support! We appreciate you. 🫶
Best video on the subject I’ve ever found!
Thanks Luiz, glad it was helpful!
Very interesting thankyou for the creativity of engineering Rode
And using REAPER. Much respect!
Wonderful Demonstration! 🤓
Terrific video, thanks!
Great to know. Well explained. Thank you
This sounded amazing as a demo, Dan, you're a natural! Are there any chances that the 32 bit float finds its way into the rest of the Røde lineup where ... applicable? One little issue with that USB-C connector "built in" the XLR.. Wouldn't it be great to be able to use both and send to two different directions - one to the computer, the other to some other recording unit?
Thanks for the support Mac! We can certainly pass on your requests to the team ☺
WOW THIS IS NICE NICE NICE, THE SHOUT JUST VANISHED, GOOD WORK RODE, I AM BUYING ONE
Sounds amazing. Well done on your innovation, Rode. I wish I could afford one. 🤪
32 bit is amazing for field recording or in general when you don't have a predictable situation. In the studio isn't not that big of a deal really. Adjust the gain before recording and it's fine. With 24 bits the noise floor is not a big issue.
Ohh yes if they did a 32 bit float field recorder I'd buy it for sure.
@@leo.nordmann Zoom F6 is 32 bit.
Live music without soundcheck... That's a 32 bit float situation for sure.
wow, it really looks like a great technology. great video!
Thanks Josechu!
The ASMR folks will love this mic...
Yo this is epic! Please put the same technology in NT5, or NT3 if it requires larger space in the mic
Time to time something really change the game... Now it's time to Rode do this! Congrats.
Thanks for the support Daniel!
This is truly impressive!
Thanks, Yongsheng!
wow... this is truly amazing
Can't wait till you bring this to the rode go 3 lav mic sets 32bit float, A lot of consumers claim they have 32-bit recordings but the issue is that the lav|mic distort before you can even get a good signal
Great explanation!
Thanks fam!
Nice to see you using Reaper there for the demo. When I took a look at my project settings, I noticed that the default was 64-Bit float.
Is this a case of Reaper going all the way up to 11, or is this a newer DAW-wide variant of 32-Bit float?
reaper internally uses 64 bit floating point values for all its processing, up to the master output. all the clipping info when some tracks are marked red are only for information purpose, to indicate where according to the project settings (24bit or 16 bit) the audio WOULD have been clipping; no audio is actually being degraded. Reaper is not the only Daw that does this, though it was certainly a modern feature when they implemented it. The point here though is, that the PROCESSING is done in 64bit, but the files being processed are still recorded at whatever your project settings were. In general, pro studios nowadays have a standard of 24 bit, which is more than capable of low noise recording, IF you set the gain levels for your microphones properly.
The difference here is that Rode is demonstrating an incredible 32bit floating point at the RECORDING stage, not at mixing.
with 32bit float recording, the range of loudness of mechanical sounds that you can record is exponentially larger, so sounds as quiet as a whisper or as loud as a shout can still be recorded without setting a gain. The 'gain' refers to the output level of a 'preamp', that boosts microphone signal. I believe what Rode is demonstrating here is that the mic, when connected via USB might as well have a 'fixed gain' level, that registers the incredible range of loudness, and afterwards you can adjust the file loudness to match what ideal gain would have been like in a conventional process
Now I offer 512 bit microfon with 0 dB noise floor and 750 dB dynamics. Did you buy one from marketing perspective?
Very impressive and might very well make life easier for mix engineers with clients who just can’t seem to wrap their head around gain staging correctly. Bravo! Also impressed with the inclusion of onboard DSP for compression.
All that said, I really think there should be a mic + interface option or, alternatively, the ability to plug a pair of headphones into the mic itself and have the mic itself act as a full if not full featured interface (I think Apogee has a sort of entry level product that does this, but correct me if I’m wrong).
I think the same target audience that finds dealing with proper gain staging to be too much of a complication is likely to find the need to make an aggregate device just as much of a headache and with that aggregate device comes the potential for clocking complications, which will further complicate the workflow for the very people this is aimed at.
My suggestion is to complete the product by having both A to D and D To A for the internal interface and throw a headphone jack on it. I think generally the crowd this is aimed at would love something extremely simple where they can track with just the mic, some headphones and the computer with the only computer GUI they have to deal with being the Rode software and the DAW.
This comes so close to removing one of the biggest hurdles for self recording artists but I think having only a partial audio interface integrated into the mic itself stops short of where this product needs to be.
The DSP is not for compression or any other sound processing. It's the brains that combines all ADC output into one 32bit float value.
@@djole02 the Official Rode website NT1 Gen 5 page, under ‘Key Features’, bullet point eight: “On-board DSP for advanced APHEX® audio processing.”.
@@philipdubnick7776 Still nothing about compression... DSP is just for combining all ADC signals into one value. 32 bit float was made so that you wouldn't need compression, at least while recording.
@@philipdubnick7776 Oh I see, APHEX is a suite of audio processing that runs on the DSP. Yeah that is great to know!
USB C port inside the XLR port is sick
Wow, Very impressive! 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
Thanks for the support!
THIS IS AMAZING! THANK YOU RODE!! 👏🏼👏🏼
Great job Rode 👍👌
Thanks!
Wow that's pretty impressive! When will we see an external specific 32bit recorder from Rode? 😊
Just checked both these interfaces 'specs and they're "only" 24 bits so this won't be of use in my case.
That's too bad, it looked promising!
@@FernandoDCDuarte Your interface doesn't matter. The 32 bit float output of the mic connects directly to your computer via USB. Everything demo'd in this video does nothing to the XLR output, since that is completely analogue.
This is amazing.
Incredible!
I’ve used 32 bit float before and it’s amazing but now I want that mic
Informative videos
That was very impressive.
Glad it was helpful!
@6:50 im dumbfounded. WHAT SORCERY IS THIS!!!? I don't believe what I'm hearing! xD its fantastic!!
I just got my 5th gen last week. I'm really excited to use it once I can get a spare hour to scream into it.
Keen for the screams!
Bravo for using REAPER.
This is the future of recording. In fact the german company stagetec did this already years ago with their converters. They achieved 158 dB with their TrueMatch Converters. But their converters are very expensive. Neumann Microphones did this too in 2008 with the D-01. But Rode Microphones seem to be the first company who offer this technique for the consumer market.
Can you imagine, you never have to care about investing in expensive A/D converters? Great. For these saved dollars we can buy microphones or plugins 🙂.
Dear rode, is the high-pitched whistle in this microphone too much? I bought use it for vocal recording from turkey. Can I get full performance on vocals when I use it with reflection filter?
WOW, thank you for this! Presumably, Cubase's 64-bit Float is even more capable then... I'll need to test that!
No. You are talking about two quite different things. Cubase's 64bit float sound engine is by software means, whilst the 'RØde NT1 gen5' mic's 32bit float processing comes via dedicated hardware converters of analogue to digital signal. Once the file gits recorded (presumably minimum at 44.1kHz, would depend on your PC or audio chip\card) it will be a 32bitfloat format\depth and might\will take up a bit more space for that reason. Then Cubase will "look at it" and add some virtual 00000000s to treat it as if it were 64bit. Such a software\virtual extended bit‑depth is not about pushing it LOUD in the audio mixing. It is about making sure the quietest and loudest parts get the maximum depth for FX to be added and precision with regards to reflecting the dynamic ratio of those FX such as reverb tails, compressors and faders (mixing).
This is amazing!!
Thanks Jason!
Thanks Jason!
This is so amazing
Thanks Ray!
That's great. Can you have a video to cover how multichannel is connected up or interfaced together. Would that only be compatible to Rode software? Is there a directX (PC) component so stereo (or more) could be widely used in real-time for various applications.
thanks for this video....
My Jaw dropped at that XLR/USB C port ! Wow!
Great revolution ! I need to ask to you if about the other sound features (kind of diaphgram, polar diagram, ..) there is or not a "classic" Rode model to be able to use with success a source model in vst plugin as LAVA, MicRoom, Antares Avox, ecc.. to simulate other great microphone for a different "colour". Other point, via usb (with a 32bitf for the DAW project setting of course..) wich is the better value of the input channel fader/trim in the Daw, 0dB is ok ? Thanks and compliments for this great product and innovation..
I am fan of Røde, bought another NT1 before just 2 months. Definitely buying this one as well. Let me see the price on Google. £254 to £265, yes will buy it.
Thanks for being part of the fam! 🫶
I am excited for this as I have a Tascam Portastudio with 32 but float and it’s a game changer. My question is how do I use this with my Apollo Twin interface? Would I have to create an aggregate device (not a fan of doing that).
Yes, you would need to do that if you want to record in 32 bit as the Apollo is 24 bit. And you can't use the Apollo Console obviously.
impressive!
So you have to have an interface with an option to record at 32bit float or a microphone. What if you use XLR and the daw is still set at 32 bit float. Is it still the same thing?
Never recorded 32 bit float audio. Is this working for multiple sources at once? I guess all of them have to be connected digitally to the DAW? Thanks a lot.
You really convinced me enough,mate. Cheers!
Now you can buy JUST a microphone and be set for life
A question please - when connectiong into your favourite DAW from the USB - does that DAW have to be 32 bit float also?
In short, your DAW doesn't have to support 32-bit float to work with the NT1 5th Gen microphone, but to take full advantage of the microphone's capabilities, a DAW that supports 32-bit float would be ideal.
Remember to set the DAW audio settings to 32-bit float, if it's supported, to take advantage of the full dynamic range of the microphone.
this is nice but let me know when we can do this in a live broadcast (vs recording). thx and keep up the great work! ✌
Impressive, this is my next mic, very reasonably priced too, $250 @ Sweetwater
Thanks for the support Rob!
i suppose the next step is "auto normalize" while recording? great video & explanation.
whats the latency like over usb because not needing a interface would be great as a travel mic
Is the 32-bit float feature just when the USB-C is used and the RODE NT1 5th Gen is the AD/DA recording device? In other words, the mic plugged in XLR to a none 32 bit float AD/DA converter doesn't achieve 32-bit float? Are your WAV files bigger?
Correct, the 32-bit float recording feature can only be used with DAW configured for this when connected via USB, or used via XLR with a 32-bit enabled recorder.
Impressive!
Thanks for the support!
@@rodemic I would love to collaborate with you
Brilliant -
guys thast amazing imagine this with drum mics and room mics, we get the full performance captured, but how it will act with a preamp or with a normal soundinterface ? with XLR
That's amazing 😃😃
Brilliant video.
My only question is: Will this work in any DAW, if the recording settings / bitrate is set accordingly? I see you're usng Reaper. What about Ableton Live or Logic Pro? Those are two required examples that need to be demonstrated.
Unfortunately 32-bit float recording isn't available for all DAWs, Reaper works great, likewise Ableton - however Logic Pro doesn't support this yet
That's damn impressive
Thanks!
Does 32-bit float recording require the USB connector ONLY or does it work with both USB and XLR?
This is nice to know
So wonderful. Would the NT1 5th be a good alternative to use in a podcast situation with 4 people round a table?
Depending on the proximity between the hosts, we would probably suggest a dynamic microphone such as the Procaster is a better option if it is a tighter setup, as condenser mics are more sensitive and will pick up background noise (including other hosts) more easily.
If I buy a NT-1 5th Gen, and plug into a iPad Pro via USB C is there an app for the iPad I can use to record in 32bit float? Thanks!
Hey, there isn't for iPad at this stage. We would recommend recording into a computer or compatible audio recorder if you're looking to record in 32-Bit float
amazing👌
Thanks fam!
Do you have to use a proper manufactured 32 bit float mic/preamp, or do you just have to set your DAW to record at 32 but float?
The latter, when using the NT1 5th Generation over USB.
Having added my own comments to almost everyone else's, I'll add an original one myself. And it's about use cases. This device can be used as a conventional mic, of course, but the whole point of it is to use it in 32 bit float mode, connected via USB. This means connecting it to a laptop - I am not aware of any other device which can be configured to accept 32 bit float over USB (but correct me if I'm wrong...). Also, I'm not aware of a means of connecting more than one such device at a time to a laptop - or can you connect two to a laptop, via two USB-C inputs, recording onto two separate tracks?
So if I'm right, this is only actually useful when it's a single mono mic scenario, into a laptop, via a fairly short cable. Home musician territory mainly. Or people who do podcasts without a guest. In those scenarios, level setting is actually not that big an issue - you tend not to sing or speak or play louder than any other time. You might have half an eye for the meters of the DAW anyway - optical compression!
My own recording activities tend to be location recording, with or without video, ideally of live music performances. In that context, if using a single mic, it needs to be stereo, and connecting it to a laptop is logistically impractical in most cases. So a stereo recording device with integrated mics is more what's needed. There are of course quite a few such devices out there, but they tend to be limited by the quality of the integrated mics (often you can connect external mics but then you're into a more complex setup). I don't think that Rode has much of a track record (pun?) with recording devices as such, but of course they have a great reputation for actual mics. So I can't help wondering whether a device combining the location recorder experience of Zoom, Sony, Tascam or whoever, with Rode-supplied mic capsules, would sell like hot cakes? A bit like Leica lenses or even Hasselblad lenses are incorporated into other manufacturer's fixed lens cameras, or even phones.
There you go, Rode. I'll take my consultants fee now.... :)
Sounds amazing.
Which Software did you use to record?
This is using Reaper
@@rodemic thank you
So goood! I’m actually very new to this topic.
If I understand that right, it’s also a hardware thing? So I was just wondering, I’m recording my guitar directly into my interface. Are there any interfaces out there supporting 32 bit float?
I see a lot of potential there for creative freedom for me…
Almost entirely a hardware thing, actually.
As far as interfaces, I just looked it up, and Zoom makes one (UAC-232), though that one appears to only have 2 ADCs as opposed to the 4 in this mic, so you're not necessarily going to get quite the same fidelity across the whole range, but it's the same concept anyway.
Are there any problems or errors if I export my audio mix file back to 24bit file? Will the (low noise floor&declip) remain in downconvert to 24bit mix?
Hey there, One would need to do all the necessary editing on the 32 bit float file, and then export to 24 bit file (or whatever file type/specs you prefer). 32 bit float is designed to be an edit format, not a final delivery format - this comes back to the comparison between .raw vs .jpeg
What about the audio interface? If it cannot process in 32bit float then surely that's a big problem since whatever bitrate it is set to will have a very significantly lower dynamic range than 32bit float? Once inside the computer, of course, further FX etc processing can take advantage of a 32bit float setting if the project has been set to 32bit float. However, that's after the effect - the original recording going through the interface does not have the dynamics of 32bit float, unless I'm seeing this wrong?
Can the 32-bit float only be accessed through the USB port?
I wanted to run my mic through my audio interface so I can run the audio through my guitar pedals, but if 32-bit float can only be accessed through USB then I'll need to make some difficult choices there ;w;
what makes 32bit is your interface converters. rode just put converters into the mic (it's an interface in the mic). so you would need to buy a 32bit float -able audio interface
@@Arkansya I don't believe this is correct as far as "so you would need to buy a 32bit float -able audio interface". If you use an xlr, the 32 bit float in the rode mic is bypassed and it's true if you plug it into a 32 bit interface, you could record 32 bit float. That is true with ANY xlr mic though. To use the interface in the rode, you MUST use the usb c and then you're not needing another interface for the route in.
@trixdropd 🎯
So sincee we can shout and bring down the gain later, does that mean we no longer need compression to tame the loud parts during a vocal take? Thanks Rode for a great video and product
It's really a matter of personal preference how you want to apply the recording and effects or processing! But the 32-bit float recording will give you more flexibility than ever to smooth out your levels and get exceptional recordings without worrying about your gain knob.
With the NT1 5th Gen, may I ask if the 32-Bit Float only works when recorded with the USB-C "Digital" but not when connected using XLR "Analog"?
Or could we say USB-C "Digital" is better than XLR "Analog" when recording in 32-bit Float? Thank you for your advice~
IT should not matter. The ADC (analogue to digital converters) should get in action at either connecting slot.
@@PASHKULI No. The USB connector is digital, 32 bit float. The XLR is a totally normal analog mic-level connection which you can use with any XLR equipped mic input - for instance, the mic input of a 32 bit float recorder. Or a 16 bit recorder. Anything you like.
@@Ozpeter Ah, could be. Have not tested the mic myself, so the XLR connection probably bypasses the converters (make sense, for those are used to plug into actual ADCs, analogue-to-digital converters of soundcards and analogue mixers)
What if I don't want to use a USB port (as theyve become a luxury, even with a hub) and rather use XLR?
Can similar results be achieved?
Say, with an UA Apollo Twin or Audient ID14 interface?
You will need to use a recorder that uses 32-bit float in that case, this is not something you can achieve via XLR otherwise.
What is the latency when using the usb built in converter?
THIS IS AWESOMEEEEE OH MY GODDDDDD. WILL THE 32 BIT FLOAT BE ON WHILE STREAMING? WHAT STREAMING SOFTWARE SHOULD I USE IT TO BE ON WHILE STREAMING. ❤❤❤
Hey @erinano4548! So the thing about 32-bit float is that it only really helps if you are doing post-production at the moment. The point is that you can recover clipped audio, so if you recording distorts you are still ok.
If you edit your livestream and then upload it, this can be a really helpful feature, of course, but it's not going to solve clipping when you are actually live.
That said, the high dynamic range of the NT1 5G is good for streaming in one way, as you can use the internal processing chip to compress your audio if you are using it in USB mode. This flattens out the peaks, and will help protect you against clipping if you shout.
Does it work with Rode NT1-A? I have scarlett solo 3 gen interface
No, you won't have 32-bit float capability with that particular setup.