the longer the word length (the more bits), the greater the dynamic range and therefore the closer to real time sounds can be.
in the old analog days,it was relatively easy the recording level,since every knew that level on the vu meter( see figure 4.2) should never go ''into the red,'' or the area above 0 dB. now we mostly live in a digital world,and except in rare cases, vu meters are a thing of the past. that means we're dealing with mostly digital peak meters, which require a whole different mindset when it comes to the proper recording level.but just how high should that level be.