 Analogue vs. Digital
Original
story Tinman Forum
"Digital audio is more accurate but harsh, whereas analogue audio is warmer but noisier". True or false?
Analogue audio utilizes electrical voltage induced waveforms to reproduce recorded sound. The equivalent to voltage iterations in the digital domain is bit rate (how many bits are used to reproduce each sample). Sample rate refers to how often per second a reproduction is captured from the source audio.
Some would argue that one of the weak links in digital audio hardware implementation is that is does not appear to equal the warm feel that the best analogue recording equipment is capable of. In reality, the human brain has perceptual limits. On most audio systems, people often can't tell good from better, (very few people are blessed or cursed with a receptivity beyond 16kHz) take MP3's for example.
Providing the digital audio bit rate/sample rate is at it's highest when recording
or mastering and used with analogue emulations like the Phoenix, (possibly the most revered tape-emulation plug-in on the market), to fatten up the bottom and mid range and smooth high-frequency transients, many believe that the digital sound can surpass even the best that analogue has to offer - without the noise!
Note: The editor has tried to write this article from a neutral point of view and neither sympathizes with nor disparages its content. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Tinman Studios.
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