24 bit CDs / Downloads

I was just looking on the Touch and Go records site and noticed that the new Shellac album is available as 24 bit WAV download. There is a note to say that some software won't burn 24 bit to disc, but even if it could, how do I know if my CD player will read the disc? Surely this can't be redbook standard? Or is this designed to be compatible with DVD-A? Anyone got any experience with 24 bit?

John

 

What's the sample rate?

HDCD was an extension of CD that went up to 20 bit, but remained at the 44.1kHz sample rate. DVD-A is 24 bit at 96kHz or 24/192 typically.

If it is at 44.1kHz then you should easily find software that will truncate the data to 16 bit to burn a CD.

 

The sample rate isn't listed on the T&G site but given Steve and Bob's backgounds, I assume it'd meant to be experienced as true 24 bit audio, rather than rounded to 16 bit. Particularly since they offer it as a 16 bit download too. There's some discussion of this on Albini's studio forum but the band are on tour at the moment so there's no official answer. If it is 44.1, how would a regular CD player hande it or does this sound like it's intended for DVD-A?

 

24/44.1 would be an odd choice, but not impossible. Much more likely that it's 24/96, in which case you need to sample-rate convert as well as truncate the data. There are programs that will do the conversion for you.

A CD player (if not HDCD) will only handle 16/44.1. If HDCD it will handle 20/44.1, but I don't know that you'd be able to write an HDCD from a wav file (the encoding was proprietary to pacific microsonics, subsequently bought out by M$).

 

Basically put you cant burn a 24bit CD. What they likely mean is that some CD burning software won't even know how to cut the data down to 16bit for burning.

If you can somehow burn it as DVD-A then you will have more luck getting the full quality. Or just play it from your computer, assuming it has a decent audio interface.

P.S. Isaac, I record at 24bit/44.1KHz. It gives the computer an easier time while still getting the benefit of higher quality sound. 44.1KHz is much less a bottleneck at the recording stage than the bitrate is due to the dynamic range needed for editing and mixing etc.. If you still want 16bit after all the editing and stuff then you need to record at 24bit usually.