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The audio path in WaveLab uses 32 Bit floating point processing. You can therefore "overload" it, i.e. use levels above 0 dB, without running the risk of causing digital signal clipping in the signal path. The only section of the audio path that can introduce clipping is the output of the Master Section.

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I'm running a 5 track mastering Montage in WaveLab. Each track's output does not exceed 0dBFS. But, the composite signal at the output of the master section is +6dB. The seemingly 'louder than legal' signal coming out of my studio monitors sounds distortion free.

I render that mix to a 32-Bit Floating Point stereo file; & there are spikes at every snare hit w/ 3 or 4 consecutive samples flat-topped; & a 25 sample plateau that had a combo cymbal & snare hit goin' on (ala Keith Moon)...& the file doesn't sound bad… but it does indicate 6 dB of overload on the master section meters. Normal so far, I guess. [& I'm guessing that a FP file doesn't necessarily show clipping…but the overload data is there, somewhere.] I save the 32-Bit FP file as a 24-Bit fixed; & it looks the same (flat-topped in the exact same areas), but playing back that 24-Bit file, the master section meters don't indicate any clipping, because those transients were sawed off at 0 dBFS in the render.

Now…forget about rendering for a moment. Is WaveLab truncating the 32-Bit Floating Point signal to 24 fixed to send to the AI's DAC's…w/ it's plus 6dB peaks also flat topped? The output meters in my Lynx console say it's not...because they're showing 6 dB of overload when I play the 32-Bit file. Why is that? There's no such animal as a 32-Bit converter...so the software has to send the sound card a fixed point, 24-Bit signal. And this 24-Bit signal is truncated at the top, with everything above 0dBFS gone. Then why are my 'last stage' meters reading +6 dB?

Thanks,

mark4man
WaveLab 5

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