Bit Depth

Bit depth is how many bits describe each audio sample, setting the dynamic range and the noise floor of a recording. Common values are 16-bit for finished delivery and 24-bit for recording and editing. More bits mean more discrete levels between silence and full scale, so 24-bit captures roughly 144 dB of theoretical range versus about 96 dB at 16-bit. That extra range gives an editor room to record at safe, conservative levels without burying quiet detail in quantization noise, then normalize later. In practice you record and edit at 24-bit (or 32-bit float, which is nearly impossible to clip), keep that depth through processing, and only dither down to 16-bit at final export when required. Working at higher bit depth keeps quiet passages clean and leaves margin for aggressive processing.