32 Bit Floating Point Explained

I found this really good video (from Allen at Sound Speeds) explaining 32 bit floating point and now things make more sense to me.

My clarifications and takeaways:

• It’s the “Floating Point” in 32 bit Floating Point that makes it special, as opposed to standard 32 bit resolution which behaves the same as regular 24 bit and 16 bit, etc.
• 32 bit Floating Point uses 2 ADC’s (analog to digital converters) — one handles regular level audio and the other handles loud audio above a certain loudness level.
• The difference in noise floor between 24 bit and 32 bit floating point is negligible or zero.
• For regular podcast recording, as long as nobody’s level is completely blown out and distorted, it’s not necessary to record in 32 bit floating point.

Specifically with regard to how the Sound Devices MixPre II series achieves such high dynamic range in 32-bit float mode: The MixPre II recorders feature Sound Devices’ own patented topology of multiple analog-to-digital converters. These converters appear in the circuitry after the Kashmir microphone preamplifier stage. They enable the recording of very-low distortion, ultra-high dynamic range audio. The MixPre II’s A-to-D’s can resolve more than 142 dB of dynamic range. Together with their Kashmir microphone preamplifiers and 32-bit float files, the MixPre II captures audio that is limited only by the capabilities of the microphone.

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