Quote:

applying plugins etc all involve either resampling, dithering, etc and that introduces digital artifacts



Really sorry, Bob, but we're still some way off a meeting of minds here. Re-sampling and dithering occurs only when there is a change in bit rate or frequency and this isn't the case with the trim plugin to which you refer.

The basic trim plugin is just another volume control and has no more effect on the signal than moving the channel fader. It is the digital equivalent of the gain control and pad switch which sit at the top of the channel strip of an analog mixer. These are there because the mixer is receiving signals from an external source, not necessarily the tape recorder and they allow the channel to be calibrated for optimum efficiency.

In a DAW, the mixer is an integral part of the recorder and it's not possible to record anything onto a track which that track's mixer channel is unable to play back. That is, a track which has been recorded and normalized will still not overload the input to that track's mixer channel. The sum of the channel outputs can overload the master buss, which is why watching the meters is so important.

Dithering will occur when a recording is made in 24bit, but the end result is destined for CD at 16bit. This is why some engineers prefer to work in 16bit for CD, particularly as the majority of recorded music doesn't require the extended dynamic range of 24bit. Whether or not the artifacts caused by dithering can be heard is the subject of another debate.

ROG.

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