Reference Manual

576 Audio Fact Sheet
ming within a 32-bit architecture strikes an ideal balance between audio quality and CPU/
memory consumption.
33.2.5 Recording external signals (bit depth >/= A/D converter)
Recording audio signals into Live is a neutral operation, provided that the bit depth set in Live‘s
Preferences window is the same or higher than that of the A/D converters used for the record-
ing. In this context, “neutral“ means “identical to the audio as it was delivered to Live by the A/D
converters.“
33.2.6 Recording internal sources at 32 bit
Audio that is recorded via internal routing will be identical to the source audio, provided that
the recording was made at 32 bits. To ensure neutral recordings of plug-in instruments and any
audio signals that are being processed by effects plug-ins, internal recording at 32 bits is recom-
mended. Please note, however, that if the source audio is already at a lower bit depth, internal
recording at that bit depth will also be neutral (assuming that no effects are used); internally
recording an unprocessed 16 bit audio file at 32 bits will not increase the sound quality.
The neutrality of internal recording is verified using cancellation tests.
33.2.7 Freeze, Flatten
When tracks are frozen (page 569), the audio files that are created are 32 bit, which ensures
that they will not be lower quality than the audio heard prior to freezing. But there are some
special cases involving Freeze that result in non-neutral behavior and should be noted:
Frozen Arrangement View tracks can include audio material that extends beyond the end of the
clip itself, such as reverb tails and delay repetitions. Frozen Session View tracks, however, are
always exactly two loop cycles long, so any audio that extends beyond two loop cycles during
un-frozen playback will be cut off after freezing.
Time-based effects like reverbs and delays are processed in realtime for unfrozen clips, so stop-
ping playback during a reverb or delay tail will allow the tail to continue. In contrast, frozen tails
are rendered as audio, and so will stop abruptly during playback.
Any parameter automations are rendered as part of the audio file for frozen Arrangement View
clips. Frozen Session View clips, however, take a “snapshot“ of all parameter values at the Ar-