diff --git a/spa/plugins/audioconvert/audioconvert.c b/spa/plugins/audioconvert/audioconvert.c
index 2f05ab4df..6673a8b46 100644
--- a/spa/plugins/audioconvert/audioconvert.c
+++ b/spa/plugins/audioconvert/audioconvert.c
@@ -1396,16 +1396,16 @@ static int setup_out_convert(struct impl *this)
 			this->cpu_flags, out->conv.cpu_flags, out->conv.is_passthrough);
 
 	if (this->props.dither_noise > 0) {
-		this->dither.intensity = (calc_width(&dst_info) * 8) - 1;
-		this->dither.intensity -= SPA_MIN(this->dither.intensity, this->props.dither_noise);
+		this->dither.quantize = 32 - (calc_width(&dst_info) * 8);
+		this->dither.quantize += this->props.dither_noise;
 		this->dither.n_channels = dst_info.info.raw.channels;
 		this->dither.cpu_flags = this->cpu_flags;
 
 		if ((res = dither_init(&this->dither)) < 0)
 			return res;
 
-		spa_log_debug(this->log, "%p: dither noise:%d intensity:%d", this,
-				this->props.dither_noise, this->dither.intensity);
+		spa_log_info(this->log, "%p: dither noise:%d quantize:%d", this,
+				this->props.dither_noise, this->dither.quantize);
 	}
 	return 0;
 }
diff --git a/spa/plugins/audioconvert/dither-ops.c b/spa/plugins/audioconvert/dither-ops.c
index 5d84f8eb5..ffb79989c 100644
--- a/spa/plugins/audioconvert/dither-ops.c
+++ b/spa/plugins/audioconvert/dither-ops.c
@@ -79,10 +79,10 @@ int dither_init(struct dither *d)
 	if (info == NULL)
 		return -ENOTSUP;
 
-	if (d->intensity >= 32)
+	if (d->quantize >= 32)
 		return -EINVAL;
 
-	d->scale = 1.0f / (1ULL << (31 + d->intensity));
+	d->scale = 1.0f / (1ULL << (63 - d->quantize));
 
 	d->dither_size = DITHER_SIZE;
 	d->dither = calloc(d->dither_size + DITHER_OPS_MAX_OVERREAD +
diff --git a/spa/plugins/audioconvert/dither-ops.h b/spa/plugins/audioconvert/dither-ops.h
index 867b469f8..afa96db5f 100644
--- a/spa/plugins/audioconvert/dither-ops.h
+++ b/spa/plugins/audioconvert/dither-ops.h
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@
 #define DITHER_OPS_MAX_OVERREAD	16
 
 struct dither {
-	uint32_t intensity;
+	uint32_t quantize;
 #define DITHER_METHOD_NONE 		0
 #define DITHER_METHOD_RECTANGULAR 	2
 #define DITHER_METHOD_TRIANGULAR 	3