If you intend to deliver audio material as a 32‑bit floating point or 24‑bit audio file on disk for professional mastering, be aware that many mastering engineers prefer material delivered without dither or level optimization.Mastering engineers typically want to receive audio material as undisturbed as possible in order to have leeway to adjust the level of the material relative to other material on a CD. In such cases, it is advisable to apply only the limiting that you find creatively appropriate—adding a little punch to certain instruments in the mix, for example.However, if you intend to output the material to DAT or CD-R, use appropriate limiting and add dither. Doing so will optimize the dynamic range and preserve the activity of the lower, or least significant bits in the audio signal, smoothly dithering them into the 16-bit output.