Glossary
Bit depth
The number of bits used to represent each audio sample, which sets the dynamic range and noise floor.
Bit depth is the number of bits used to represent the amplitude of each individual sample in a digital audio recording. A higher bit depth allows more precise measurement of loudness at any given instant, which translates into a wider dynamic range and a lower noise floor in the recorded signal.
Podcast recordings are commonly captured at 24-bit, which offers far more headroom than the 16-bit standard used for finished, distributed audio like streaming music. That extra headroom during recording is useful because it makes it less likely that an unexpectedly loud moment, like a laugh, pushes the signal into audible clipping.
Final podcast files are usually delivered as compressed MP3 or AAC, formats that do not directly carry a bit depth in the way an uncompressed WAV file does, so the choice mainly affects the recording and editing stage. Recording at 24-bit and exporting a final compressed file at the end is standard practice and requires no extra effort beyond setting it once in the interface at the start of a project.