What Is Dithering in Audio? When to Use It (Once, at the End)

The short answer: dithering adds a very small amount of carefully shaped noise when you reduce the bit depth of audio, for example exporting a 24-bit or 32-bit float session to a 16-bit file. Reducing bit depth rounds every sample, and those rounding errors create quantization distortion that follows the music and sounds harsh on quiet passages and fades. Dither turns that distortion into a faint, steady noise the ear barely notices. The rule: dither once, as the very last step, only when the bit depth goes down. Exporting 24-bit to 24-bit? No dither needed.

Dither is the last process on every master I deliver, and it's the step people most often either skip or apply twice.

When you need it and when you don't

The one rule: once, last

Dither belongs after everything, including the limiter. Any processing after dither (a gain change, another plugin, a second export) disturbs the noise and can undo the benefit. And dithering twice stacks noise for no gain. So: one dither, on the final export, at the target bit depth. If a mastering engineer is finishing your track, don't dither your mix at all; send them a 24-bit or 32-bit float file and let the master be the only place it happens.

Types of dither, briefly

Flat (TPDF): plain, even noise. Always safe. Noise-shaped (like iZotope's MBIT+, POW-r, or your DAW's shaped options): pushes the noise into frequencies where the ear is least sensitive, making it even less audible. For loud modern masters the difference between types is genuinely hard to hear; for quiet classical or ambient material, noise shaping earns its place. Pick one, use it consistently, and don't spend a week on it.

Where to find it

Every DAW has dither in its export dialog: Ableton (in export settings), Logic (Bounce dialog, POW-r options), FL Studio (export options). Mastering suites like Ozone put it in the final maximizer module. It's the final line of a mastering chain, after the limiter, and it's also where your true peak and loudness targets get locked in.

Quick answers

What does dithering do? It masks the harsh distortion caused by rounding when you reduce bit depth, trading it for a faint, even noise that's far less audible.

Should I dither when exporting to 24-bit? It's optional. The 24-bit noise floor is already far below hearing, but dithering doesn't hurt, and many engineers do it by default.

Should I dither my mix before mastering? No. Export at 24-bit or 32-bit float without dither, and let the final master be the only place dither happens.

Can you hear dither? On a loud master, practically never. On a quiet fade-out at 16-bit, you can hear the difference it makes: grainy distortion without it, a clean fade with it.