Consider dither at the final reduction to a lower PCM bit depth when that delivery requires it. Keep the higher-resolution working master and avoid repeatedly reducing and re-expanding intermediate files. Dither is not a repair for clipping, a sample-rate interpretation error or missing speech. First confirm what format and bit depth the recipient actually requested.
Identify the conversion being made
Write down the working file's sample format and the required delivery format. Sample rate concerns samples over time; bit depth concerns the representation of each sample. Changing one does not substitute for changing the other. A compressed delivery such as AAC also has its own encoding behavior, so a PCM export checkbox should not be presented as a universal answer for every audio format.
Do the editing and approved processing before preparing the lower-bit-depth copy. Preserve the original and working master. If an intermediate file has already been reduced, merely assigning a larger bit depth does not recover the detail lost in that earlier conversion.
Verify the final export stage
Adobe's sample-type guide discusses bit-depth conversion and dither in Audition. Use the actual external editor's documented export path and note any dither already applied by the delivery chain. This guidance does not imply that Imagild exposes a PCM conversion control.
Make separate final candidates from the same approved master rather than using one candidate as the source of the next. Record the chosen bit depth and whether dither was applied. Avoid combining several undocumented dither stages simply because multiple applications offer an option with that name.
A proposed quiet-tail comparison
For a hypothetical test, use an authorized narration with a gradual fade and a quiet room-tone tail. Export one final lower-bit-depth PCM copy with the intended dither choice and one without it. Compare the same interval at equal playback gain and also at the normal listening level for delivery.
The proposed worksheet records source format, target format, conversion stage, tail character and any unexpected noise. It is a test plan, not a measured claim that listeners will always hear a difference. A deliberately exaggerated monitoring level can help inspect a tail, but it should not be confused with the audience's normal listening conditions.
Approve the right file for the right recipient
Accept when the delivery matches the agreed format, its fade behaves acceptably and the retained master remains available for revisions. Reject a workflow that repeatedly exports a low-bit-depth working file, or a claim that dither removed existing distortion. Check the complete final mix for ordinary problems too; a technically considered conversion does not guarantee correct words or balance.
Label the PCM delivery separately from compressed distribution copies. Save the conversion note with the checked filename. Imagild's Skills can support visual production, while the sound master and final conversion remain the responsibility of the external audio workflow. The useful outcome is a reproducible delivery decision, rather than a setting applied without knowing what is being converted.