Digital Vs Analog. Two videos you must watch.

[fingerace]

Hello guys. I am new here and I am trying to get the most out of this forum and perhaps discover some things about recordings that I didn't know before.

First let me tell you about my personal experience. The songs I recorded were done in a studio that uses an old soundcraft 600 and an Alesis HD24 as the basic equipment. The Alesis is fairly recent, there used to be tapes before that.

The guy who owns the studio is a rocker from the 60s, he has been around recordings for more than 35 years. That said, it is only natural that he prefers analog sound.

I must also tell you that I am planning on studying Acoustical Eng. and I really want to know what the truth is about this digital vs analog matter. I don't have $2 mill. to set up a top of the line digital studio and a "top of the line" analog studio to find out by myself which is "best", so I have to find somebody who did exactly that.

Now here are the best two videos I have found:

YouTube - Analog Vs Digital

YouTube - Can Digital Recordings Sound as Good as Analog?

I believe they summarise everything there is to understand.

There is a lot of info in this forum, but I must confess that I always read with caution and disbelieve whatever has to do with sound. Not only in this forum, but everywhere. I believe that this is a form of self protection, since a lot of people just write what they "think" is correct, not what they know is correct. Of course I deeply appreciate the shootouts that Brandon does for us and I tend to agree.

Thanks for reading

[richiebee]

The first video was kind of confusing... it starts by comparing vinyl to MP3. That's not the point it set out to prove moving through it, and rightly so - that would certainly not be a fair comparison of analog vs digital. It makes some good points, and the conclusive test is excellent. I was surprised at how low the "golden" boys got, though I'd say fatigue was a factor there. That said, I think the analog vs digital argument is just pointless. We are in a digital world, and whether analog ultimately sounds better is irrelevent to almost everyone, since the ease and flexibility of editing digital outway any deficiencies in the sound reproduction. I think analog does sound different to digital, but not in the same way that the dude in video number 2 suggests. Digital is more precise, more accurate, and therefore more clinical. That's not necessarily a good thing. But as pointed out in video number one, there are plugins that introduce w a r m t h. And while the word w a r m t h might be misused and misunderstood, I personally think that analog emulators have a valuable place in the studio.
I would NEVER want to go back to analog, but I'm pleased to have those analog emulators to make my music dirty.

[brandondrury]

There is a lot of info in this forum, but I must confess that I always read with caution and disbelieve whatever has to do with sound. Not only in this forum, but everywhere.

I 100% agree. The only thing that matters is what comes out of your studio monitors and how your recordings sound on other systems. Therefore, EVERYTHING you hear or read should do little more than inspire how you work.

That said, I think the analog vs digital argument is just pointless.

I wouldn't mind trying it sometime. If there really are tonal benefits, it would be worth looking into. I'm not 100% convinced, though. For me these days, the biggest limitations I have are time and money. Analog tape machines are expensive. They take time to maintain. Tons of outboard gear, a big console, etc are EXTREMELY expensive when compared to my $400 copy of Cubase SX3 and some plugins.

I do think there are workflow BENEFITS to analog tape. The computer features are powerful, but I think they cause as many problems as they solve. I like the idea of recording rock bands to analog tape. You are forced to make a decision during tracking. You don't have the options of copying and pasting. I consider these to be good things most of the time.

In the end, a world that goes back to analog tape recording goes back to a world where less recordings are being made. I'm convinced that there are TONS of beginner-level engineers making really great recordings at home that do sound good. So, I agree with Richiebee. This is a pointless argument.

I would NEVER want to go back to analog, but I'm pleased to have those analog emulators to make my music dirty.

I touched on this in another thread, but I think the biggest factor for the "analog" sound has way more to do with what is in front of the microphone than what comes after. I think recording people naturally gravitate to thinking about the factors that they can control in a recording (starting with the mic and going from there) but I think Ringo had a lot more to do with his "analog" drums than George Martin did.

Brandon


Brandon