#204: What Is Dither in Audio? When and Why to Use It (feat. Ian Stewart)
Description
Ever wondered why engineers intentionally add noise to audio? In this episode of Inside the Mix, returning guest, mastering engineer and Berklee professor Ian Stewart, breaks down what dither is, why it’s used, and when to apply it in your music production workflow.
Through clear explanations and real audio demos, Ian demonstrates how dither replaces digital artefacts with smooth, barely noticeable noise, preserving details such as reverb tails and low-level audio that would otherwise be distorted during bit depth reduction.
You’ll learn:
- Do I need to dither when exporting a 24-bit file to a 16-bit file?
- Can skipping dither cause distortion in quiet passages?
- When should you use dither in mastering?
Whether you’re mixing in 32-bit float or exporting for streaming, this episode explains how audio dither helps preserve quality during final delivery and when it’s best to skip it.
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