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Best Settings for Bouncing Audio

March 3, 20269 min read
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Contents
  • Understanding the Core Settings
  • Sample Rate
  • Bit Depth
  • File Format
  • Export Settings by Scenario
  • Bouncing for Mastering
  • Bouncing for Distribution
  • Exporting Stems for Mixing or Collaboration
  • Bouncing for Archival
  • Dithering: When and How to Use It
  • Offline Bounce vs. Realtime Bounce
  • Naming and Organizing Your Bounces
  • The Export Checklist
  • Quick Reference Table
  • Common Mistakes

You finished your mix. The automation is dialed in, you're ready to bounce — and the export dialog opens with a wall of options. WAV or AIFF? 44.1 or 48 kHz? 16-bit or 24-bit? Dither on or off?

Pick wrong and you'll introduce artifacts, lose quality, or send a mastering engineer a file they can't use.

Understanding the Core Settings

Sample Rate

Sample rate is how many times per second the audio signal is measured. The key options:

  • 44.1 kHz — CD and streaming standard. Captures frequencies up to 22.05 kHz, above human hearing range.
  • 48 kHz — standard for video/film. Use when syncing to picture.
  • 96 kHz+ — sometimes used for acoustic recording sessions. Debatable audible benefit, but gives plugins more headroom for processing.

The rule: match your export sample rate to your session rate. Converting during export subtly degrades quality, especially with cheaper conversion algorithms.

Bit Depth

Each bit adds ~6 dB of dynamic range:

  • 16-bit — 96 dB range. CD/streaming delivery format.
  • 24-bit — 144 dB range. The recording and mixing standard. Use for any export that will undergo further processing.
  • 32-bit float — 1,528 dB theoretical range. Impossible to clip, useful for intermediate bounces.

The rule: export at your session's bit depth or higher. Never reduce bit depth without dithering.

File Format

  • WAV — uncompressed, lossless, universally accepted. Your default for mastering and distribution.
  • AIFF — identical quality to WAV. Less common cross-platform.
  • FLAC — lossless compression, 40-60% smaller than WAV. Good for archiving, but not all DAWs import it natively.
  • MP3/AAC — lossy. Only for rough references and previews. Never for mastering, distribution, or archiving.

WAV metadata limitation

WAV and AIFF files have limited metadata support compared to MP3 or FLAC. When uploading to distribution platforms, you'll typically enter metadata (title, artist, ISRC codes) separately through the distributor's interface. Don't rely on embedded metadata in your WAV files — it may not carry through.

Export Settings by Scenario

The right settings depend entirely on what the bounce is for. Here's exactly what to use in each situation.

Bouncing for Mastering

Your job is to preserve maximum quality and leave room for the mastering engineer to work.

  • Format: WAV
  • Bit depth: Match your session (usually 24-bit)
  • Sample rate: Match your session
  • Dithering: OFF
  • Normalization: OFF — normalizing eats headroom
  • Master bus: Remove your limiter. Keep bus compression/EQ only if integral to the mix. When in doubt, bounce two versions.
  • Headroom: Target peaks at -3 to -6 dBFS

For a deeper walkthrough, see our guide on how to prepare your mix for mastering.

Include a reference

Alongside your main bounce, export a "loud" reference version with your limiter engaged. This shows the mastering engineer the loudness and vibe you're aiming for without constraining their work on the clean mix.

Bouncing for Distribution

The final master going to streaming platforms via your distributor.

  • Format: WAV (most distributors also accept FLAC)
  • Bit depth: 16-bit or 24-bit (most modern distributors accept both)
  • Sample rate: 44.1 kHz
  • Dithering: ON if reducing from 24-bit to 16-bit
  • Normalization: OFF

If your mastering engineer delivers 24-bit / 44.1 kHz WAV, upload that directly. Distributors handle conversion to streaming formats on their end.

Exporting Stems for Mixing or Collaboration

  • Format: WAV
  • Bit depth: Match your session (24-bit minimum)
  • Sample rate: Match your session
  • Dithering / Normalization: OFF
  • Start point: All stems must start from bar 1, beat 1 so they align in another session
  • Length: All stems same length — same start, same end point
  • Effects: Export dry unless the effect is baked in. Include wet versions separately if needed.
  • Naming: Song_Title_Vocals.wav, Song_Title_Drums.wav — not Audio_12.wav

Stems vs. multitracks

"Stems" technically refers to grouped submixes (e.g., all drums as a single stereo file). Individual track exports are "multitracks." In practice, most producers use "stems" for both. Just be clear with your collaborator about what they need — grouped buses or individual channels.

Bouncing for Archival

Export both a final mix and a full stem set so you can reconstruct the project even if the DAW session becomes incompatible with future software.

  • Format: WAV for stems, WAV or FLAC for final mix
  • Bit depth / Sample rate: Match your session — do not reduce or convert
  • Dithering: OFF
  • Include: Final mix, instrumental, a capella (if applicable), and complete stems

Dithering: When and How to Use It

When you reduce bit depth (e.g., 24-bit to 16-bit), the audio gets quantized to fewer levels, introducing quantization distortion — harsh digital noise most audible during quiet passages and fade-outs. Dithering adds tiny random noise that masks this distortion. The trade-off is a barely perceptible noise floor increase, far preferable to undithered artifacts.

When to dither: Only when reducing bit depth. Not when exporting at session bit depth, not for stems, not for internal bounces. Apply dither exactly once — as the last process in the chain. Coordinate with your mastering engineer on who handles it.

Which type: Most DAWs offer several algorithms. TPDF is the safest general-purpose choice — flat, uncolored noise that works for any material. POW-r types shape noise into less audible frequencies for specific material (Type 1 for pop/EDM, Type 3 for orchestral/jazz), but are strictly for final output — never for intermediate bounces.

When in doubt, use TPDF

It's transparent, adds the least coloration, and is safe for any material. Most listeners can't distinguish between dither types in a blind test.

Offline Bounce vs. Realtime Bounce

For modern DAWs, offline and realtime bounces produce identical results in the vast majority of cases. Use offline as your default — it's faster, and some plugins actually render at higher quality offline with better oversampling.

Switch to realtime only when routing through external hardware, using time-dependent plugins (arpeggiators, randomized effects), or if you hear glitches in the offline bounce.

Naming and Organizing Your Bounces

If your exports folder is full of final_FINAL.wav and mix_v3_USE THIS ONE.wav, the right version will eventually go to the wrong place. Include four things in every filename: song title, version, purpose (mix/master/stems/ref), and date (YYYY-MM-DD):

Midnight_Run_Mix_v4_2026-03-03.wav
Midnight_Run_Master_Final_2026-03-03.wav
Midnight_Run_Stems_Drums_2026-03-03.wav
Midnight_Run_Ref_Loud_2026-03-03.wav

For a complete version management system, see our guide on how to track song versions.

Project_Name/
├── Session/          (DAW project files)
├── Bounces/
│   ├── Mixes/        (stereo mix bounces)
│   ├── Stems/        (grouped or individual tracks)
│   ├── Masters/      (mastered files from your ME)
│   └── References/   (reference mixes, rough bounces)
└── Assets/           (samples, artwork, notes)

The Export Checklist

Before bouncing:

  • Verify the correct output bus is selected (routing mistakes cause silent or incomplete bounces)
  • Set your start and end points — include any reverb/delay tails after the last note
  • Check that the export range captures the full song (not just a selected region)
  • Confirm sample rate and bit depth match your session
  • Confirm dithering is off (unless you're reducing bit depth for final delivery)
  • Confirm normalization is off
  • Remove or bypass the master limiter if bouncing for mastering

After bouncing:

  • Open the bounced file in a separate player and listen from start to finish — don't just spot-check
  • Verify the file starts at the right point and doesn't cut off early
  • Check for clicks, pops, or digital artifacts (especially at the very beginning and end)
  • Confirm the file size makes sense (a 4-minute stereo 24-bit/48 kHz WAV should be roughly 55 MB)
  • Name the file according to your convention and move it to the correct folder

Always listen back

The single most common export mistake is not listening to the bounce. Routing errors, plugin glitches, and truncated tails only reveal themselves on playback. Never send a bounce you haven't listened to from start to finish.

Quick Reference Table

ScenarioFormatBit DepthSample RateDitherNormalize
For masteringWAVSession (24-bit)SessionOffOff
For distribution (16-bit)WAV16-bit44.1 kHzOnOff
For distribution (24-bit)WAV24-bit44.1 kHzOffOff
Stems for mixingWAVSession (24-bit)SessionOffOff
Stems for remixWAVSession (24-bit)SessionOffOff
ArchivalWAV/FLACSessionSessionOffOff
Rough referenceMP3 320 kbps—44.1 kHz—Off

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Common Mistakes

  • Exporting at lower resolution than your session. A double conversion (sample rate + bit depth) introduces artifacts. Match your session unless you have a specific reason to convert.
  • Bouncing through the master limiter. Stacking limiters crushes dynamics. Bypass yours before bouncing for mastering.
  • Normalizing. It removes headroom and can clip inter-sample peaks. Leave it off.
  • Double-dithering. Dither applied more than once just adds unnecessary noise. Coordinate with your mastering engineer.
  • Not listening back. Open the bounce in a different app and listen start to finish. Every time.
  • Forgetting reverb tails. Extend your export range past the last note to capture the full decay.

For the full organizational picture — from DAW templates to folder structures — see how top producers organize sessions and the session-to-release checklist.

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On this page

  • Understanding the Core Settings
  • Sample Rate
  • Bit Depth
  • File Format
  • Export Settings by Scenario
  • Bouncing for Mastering
  • Bouncing for Distribution
  • Exporting Stems for Mixing or Collaboration
  • Bouncing for Archival
  • Dithering: When and How to Use It
  • Offline Bounce vs. Realtime Bounce
  • Naming and Organizing Your Bounces
  • The Export Checklist
  • Quick Reference Table
  • Common Mistakes
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