Questions about bits

Hi there,
some little questions about audition preferences:
1- What does it mean: "Interpret 32bit PCM wave files as 16.8 float"?
2- What is Dither Transform result and Symmetric dither?
3- What the hell is "Wave Cache"? How much do I have to put (i think i made something wrong with it...)?

Another small question:
if I make music with 44.100hz and 16bit, when i master all with 32bit mixing with Audition, do I have to convert all to 32 bit, i mean every track?
How can Audition mix with 32bit mixing the tracks that are 16bit?
Finally, is it better to convert all to 32bit or leave the tracks with 16bit and mix them with32bit general mixing?
Thanks to anyone that can give me some hints about that...#
Bits are such a mysterious world...
Thanks.

Hi, frisbi.  Here are a few bits, pun intended:

1 - The 16.8 float format was an excellent 32-bit format used by Syntrillium back in the Cool Edit Pro days before the audio industry had standardized to the IEEE 0.24 float that is now Audition's default format (also excellent).  Apparently later versions of Cool Edit Pro and Audition can't automatically distinguish between the good ol' 16.8 float and other 32-bit PCM samples, so this checkbox was added to remedy that (and to eliminate nasty bursts of noise that some of us were blasted by).  If you've never used Cool Edit Pro, or saved a file in that 16.8 (obselete) format, you don't need to worry about it.

2 - When you have a 16-bit file and apply a transform, say a level change, or EQ, for example, it effectively takes more than 16 bits to accurately represent the resultant signal (and all processing and mixing in Audition is always done at 32-bits or maybe even better).  Dither is a tiny amount of noise added for a smoothing effect that actually allows more low-level detail to pass through, at the expense of a tiny amount of noise added.  How much noise, you might ask?  We're talking about the very last bit, so -90dB.  I recommend that you always use this OR always edit 24 or 32-bit files and dither as a last final step.  SYMMETRIC dithering means that the smoothing noise is a tad stronger so that the noise deviates one sample value either side of zero (-87dB) instead of only alternating between 0 and -1.

3 - Wave Caching has to do with how the software interfaces with your sound card.  If everything plays fine, then no need to change it.  Do a forum search for this term to learn more about the benefits/disadvantages of adjusting this.

thankx a lot, you´ve been gentle and precise,
last questionm:
do you think that recording all to 44100 16bit and then converting in 32bit for audition mastering is a good thing to do?
I usually make this, an it sounds good...
and (very last question):
do you think that 512kb are not eonugh for a good musical work?
Do I have to buy more ram?
Thanks a lot.
(Sorry, i don´t have tha manual...looking for one)

Recording at greater than 16-bits only helps if your hardware supports this, and converting to 32-bit is unnecessary if working in Multitrack View.  There is some benefit when working in Edit View.  BUT what do you mean by mastering? 

512MB RAM is the absolute minimum you'd want for Audition 2, and whether you'd benefit from more is entirely dependant on how you use the program. 

No manual?  It's on the installer CD.  But the help files are pretty similar...