Analog Vs Digital

[whatabeautifulscene]

The drums thinned out a little when it hit digital. That's all I could hear out of this compressed lossy Youtube video.

[psyoptica]

I can't say I agree with Albini about analog being more permanent/durable. What about the iron oxide deteriorating as the video mentions? What about the analog master tapes that have to be baked in an oven before using? The real reason Albini prefers analog is because that's what he's most familiar with, and there's never been an instance of him having tell an artist "no, we can't do that on tape." Any other justification is sketchy, at best.

[larry89]

to be honest.. analog sounds so much more dynamic.. this is coming from a producer using digital... i'm even trying to find out how to produce music using analog..

[RacismIsSchism]

analog is not better, nor is digital. it's all about opinion, fuck steve albini and the other digital homie. you can't argue which one is better. some people think digital is better and the other way around, it depends on the people using it

[Yessirman71]

For those audio enthusiasts,  check out my video that has a soundtrack taken right from analog tape that was transferred to digital and subsequently added to the video track here: enter L.A. Ryder as performed by P.J.

You can hear, and ask... Is it digital or analog??

[popomczowzow]

also I love how the unbiased judges worked for pro tools

[popomczowzow]

analogue for sound quality, digital for ease of editing

[NoEgg4u]

Why do so many people believe that digital sounds better?

.

1) They have never heard a properly set-up analog system. It is expensive and has to be done professionally (there are numerous steps).

2) They do not clean the record (yes, even new records) or demag their cartridge.

3) Most pressings suck. It takes a lot of time and effort to find a quality pressing.

4) Bang for the buck, digital kills analog. But if you have the resources to do analog correctly, it demolishes digital.

[NoEgg4u]

When analog is done right, and played on a high-end analog front end, with quality speakers, it blows digital away. Sure, digital cost less, and is more convenient. But once you hear a killer analog set-up, with a quality pressing of an LP (and they are hard to come by), you will never want to listen to digital again. You might have to go through dozens of pressings of the same album to find one side of the album that was properly pressed. But when you have it, there is nothing else like it.

[KeithMMeldrum]

I like analog better (For Recording music) It just seems like the analog tape captures most of the movements of the instruments, and just goes more in depth with the detail that you record, Digital makes some of you recordings sound overproduced, don't get me wrong, digital sounds great and clear but, if you are going for a grittier more saturated sound, then use tape.

[westernNYnativ]

As a musician and lover of music, I side with analog being the better medium. There's a lot that happens within our brains that isn't neccesarilly within our audible range. Why is it I feel more involved when I listen to

Vinyl? It's not because it's easier because digital is far more

Convenient. And that's why record companies have pushed digital to the

Front. It's more costly

To manufacture than vinyl records.

[1kydde2]

How appropriate that That the Analog producer (Steve Albini) is a cool chill honest stick-it-to-the-man rocker, and the digital guy is a fucking mega corporate tool douche. That right there alone should tell you which medium to go with.

[sorcerio]

Let's have both; digital for its wonderful modern convenience AND analog for its inimitable soul-felt characteristics.

[EyMeng]

i wonder what they had to do to make it sound analog. If you listen to any live album past 1983 you know it sounds different than, say, Live at Leeds or anything from the 70s and 60s

[crashdog5866]

Whoever made this video have no idea what they are talking about.

[mikykim070]

If something's done really well digitally, it sounds awesome. If it's done really well in analog, it sounds awesome. I don't really care so long as I get a quality recording of either.

On one of my guitar pedals, it has an analog delay and digital delay and I can't tell teh difference. Granted, teh analog probably isn't truly analog.... idk maybe.

[ghostman3331]

analog is more expensive than digital analog uses transistors resistors and capacitors digital uses microchips whith and or nand nor gate techno analog high voltage digital low voltage analog is mechanical digital is electro gated tech when it all comes down to it in analog is a more acurate sound duplication they say you can hear a pin drop in analog because its real sound the spiricom mark 6 device uses analog tech all recorders still have analog roots like a motor

[RainKingRecording]

You cant compare PMC to an MP3. Whoever made this video didn't really understand the Difference between PCM audio And MP3 audio the difference between analogue recording and digital recording analogue mixing and digital mixing.

[hiian123]

I wish i lived in the classic rock stage with records and woodstock and got to take part in truely great works of art and not people talking about fucking girls in clubs with a chant to hip hop techno mixes. I wish I lived to see Led Zeppelin 1 time in concert.

[toolongforyoutoread6]

You know what, When I listen to my records on an average record player, I feel like the artists are right next to me. When I listen to a CD, it sounds like the same artists, as well as their instruments, has lost the ability to hit the higher or lower notes, and that they're about five blocks away.

[elpatriotaLX]

I have to say that at this point sound quality is very subjective. Also, we have to consider how the music was recorded and mastered.

If the music was recorded and mastered digitally the CD or SACD will trump Analog. Because digital is more precise.

If the music is recorded and mastered all analog perhaps a record is the way to go.

As far as my ears are concerned, I call it a tie. It is all about the mastering.

Technically speaking Digital potential is way beyond our ears.

[toolongforyoutoread6]

@elpatriotaLX

Actually, digital is less precise, it records samples, while analog records the exact electrical signals produced by a microphone.

[elpatriotaLX]

Technically speaking you are right.

As far as commercial music goes, since the late 70's (what you can get a home) most recordings are done and mastered digitally even those pressed on vinyl. In this case the digital representation will alway be more accurate than Analog.

UNLESS, you buy a record that was recorded and mastered straight from the analog source. Even then, the record is just an analog COPY of the master with degraded quality.

[elpatriotaLX]

Well that is a matter of opinion but most music, even classical music is recorded digitally.

Sorry toolongforyoutoread6 but that is a fact.

Besides the sonic capability of digital audio can be billion times beyond what your ears can hear.

Maybe what you like about analog is all the defects it has. Rumble, hiss, pop, and cracks.

By the way, have you hear about dynamic range? I bet you also think that analog has better dynamic range than even a CD.

Chop Chop lets move on it's 2010!

[toolongforyoutoread6]

I'm not sure what you mean by digital's sonic capability is beyond our ears, could you please explain?

[elpatriotaLX]

Human hearing is roughly: 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz

CD frequency range: 20Hz to 20,000hz

DVD-Audio 24bit: 20Hz to 198,000 Hz

DOG hearing: 40 Hz to 60,000 Hz

As you can see, digital audio goes even beyond your beloved dog's hearing

Digital Audio is technically beyond even the best stereo equipment and speakers EVER. In fact, no stereo can reproduce the theoretical audio capability of a DVD-Audio.

There is even 32 bit DAC out there. Your ears are not match for digital - toolong.

[toolongforyoutoread6]

What you fail to mention is the samples per second. Digital cuts up music into samples and sounds not in the samples are lost. The less samples per second, the poorer the sound. The frequency range problems are probably from crappy remastering, as all the music that I listen to was recorded in analog.

[elpatriotaLX]

No I did not. That is just what I mentioned.

DVD-Audio uses 24bit 96,000 up to 198,000 samples per second. (Sapling frequency)

16 bit depth gives you WAY more dynamic range than any record let alone 24bit.

By the way, Analog is just that: An Analog COPY. By default, Analog can never be a perfect copy of the original source in fact analog copies are corrupted by nature.

With digital you can buy a perfect copy of the master; DVD_AUDIO or SACD.

NADA is lost.

Digital > Analog.

[elpatriotaLX]

2 part

Now if you listen to only analog stuff that is cool. But those changes in audio have more to do with the mastering (loudness war), than with the medium.

It has nothing to do with the material being digital. A bad analog master can sound like crap too.

[breakdancebrooklyn]

what is song is playing during the test anyway?

[breakdancebrooklyn]

i don't think it's fair to compare. i feel like it might depend on the song, the artist, the message being evoked, etc. i don't think you can say one is completely better but i do think that digital recording is more "safe" in the sense that less can go wrong

[JSGuitar80]

I grew up with digital so I say I don't give a fuck if analog sounds better. My C.D.s are sympatico.

[jf99151]

When sound is recorded, it has to vibrate air between the instrument and the mic, (or your analog ear). A speaker vibrating air is no different than an acoustic guitar top vibrating air. They both have to go thru a mic to get recorded. Analog was just an old way of capturing sound, Technically, a cd is a small record that is read with a laser, i trust the laser accuracy over the phono needle, and the sluggish tape head.

[jf99151]

Digital = 32 bit quality recordings, high sample rate, needs no adjustments (mechanical). Precise playback, laser. Easy to record. Affordable.

Analog= 32 quality, needs many adjustments, playback not precise (mechanical gears in player), drags tape over head (noise) hiss, Difficult to record(edit), Expensive(pro), Cheap (consumer),quality bad. Tape melts. Vinyl warps.

Entropy56 and EJG5150 , you two have no idea what you're talking about.

[Gioxtream]

What !!!! Harry potter is now an audio Engineer? Damn it.

[R0773N]

Analog > digital.

Only kiddies like digital.

[akaimpc]

I miss the audio files  show

[Entropy56]

You have to use analog classical or analog jazz or other natural instrumental music to have a meaningful test.

[Entropy56]

Analog instruments product subtle sonics and ambience that can't be produced by non-analog instruments. This test is bogus because the music was electrified and processed before it was even recorded! That is why most audiophiles listen to jazz and classical and orchestra music. Real music has air around it which is produced in the real world.

[TrevorDeanM]

The test they did is stupid. You have to record the same thing on both digital and analogue then switch back and forth in order to tell the difference.

I'm a filmmaker and we capture the image on film then transfer it to digital for editing and it still has that special dreamy look. Sound is the same; capture on analogue and edit in digital and you still have that special warm sound.

[misterplops]

Sound is the same

Even digital vs. digital sounds different when comparing components.

And compare any two analogue pieces of equipment to each other and they will have sonic differences.

I am curious to know what equipment you are using (from end to end) that makes you conclude that digital and analogue sound the same.

[vwestlife]

One reason why most digital audio sounds like crap is because the recording engineers run their levels too high, causing the peaks to be clipped and distorted -- as seen at 3:00 in the video when one of the meters maxes out and triggers the red clipping indicator!

[misterplops]

A lot of the discussion on this video was focused on the ease of digital editing compared to the more time consuming analog editing.

How lazy are we when we care how much effort the studios put in to create the final product?

I want the highest quality reproduction. That's vinyl (when done right).

Is it not worth the extra time and effort to produce a final, quality disk for the consumer?

[Pedro4k]

Not when time is money.

[misterplops]

The listening test conducted in this video was flawed.

How can anyone be expected to hear the difference between analog and digital using headphones?

You typically need a quality turntable, tonearm, cartridge, phono stage, pre-amp, amps, interconnects, and of course, hi-end speakers.

BTW, even if both the bit rate and sampling rate are quadrupled (which would help), there's still the DAC process, which analog does not have. The AD and then DA conversion only hurts the final product.

[EJG5150]

Only the vocals switched, the music behind still stayed digital during the test. If the music behind would have also switched it would have been easy to tell the difference.

DIGITAL SUCKS!

Analog sounds a billion times better!

[Pedro4k]

"Analog sounds a billion times better! " WOW, really? U sure it's not a billion and 1 times better?? LOL!!

[lindenhu]

Another problem with analog recording was that stacking tracks in analog had serious tape hiss buildup. So, we used dolby and dbx noise reduction. It's distortion. Many, many analog recordings that are on vinyl used this. It's a fact.

[lindenhu]

I've engineered sound for 40 years. I even did some mastering back when. We used compression on vinyl too. We did that to get the dynamic quiet parts up out of the screaming vinyl. When you master vinyl the lows get panned to the center (technical reason). So, it's not accurate to the master.

[mrhoffame]

There are cleary pros and cons to both. I collect digital and analog (vinyl). Sometimes the richer sounds comes through sometimes it is hard to tell. The biggest thing about vinyl for me is the intamacy of digging, selecting, observing the art, brushing the record, placing that needle down, and watching the physical interaction of the disc to the needle. The ease that so many like from digital is the very thing a lot analogers hate! To each his own though..JUST LISTEN TO MUSIC!!!

[bluestravelingking]

the reason why digital sounds so crappy mp3, CD, or otherwise, is not because of the digital sound it's because of the overcompression that is used in the mastering process that wasn't used when records were being made. back then they didn't squash the life out of music like they do now in order to achieve maximum volume with minimal dynamics. it's a loudness war. it's not the fault of digital, digital is an incredible format that is not going away people,,,so get used to it. it's user error

[EyMeng]

Id like to here something digital that sounds like the first Rolling Stones record

[Aaimah]

Analog seems to have more soul to me. I was listening to old music and I assumed my preference was just nostalgia until I realized that analog is technically better than digital as far as sound.

[1qw3er5ty7ui9op]

I got an idea why not use the same MiniDV Format, Digital on Tape?

[rodekill27]

how are we supposed to hear the difference on youtube where its all compressed haha

[twinkyfarm3r]

lol

[Johnnyo743]

@rodekill27 its a joke

[breen234]

to me, a lot of the difference is in what speakers you use. anything i play at all from my laptop sounds terrible, but if i hook it up to a warm-sounding 40 year old speaker, it sounds a lot better. i like analogue better in general, but that might simply have something to do with the fact that i hate computers, lol.

[dhampex]

Or do a hi- Brid thang, record analog bounce to protoole, but how long will that copy last? I'v experience the bad in digital and ald o in analog, but more so of digital. Yeah tapes last longer tho.

[dhampex]

Yes everyone,, analog still sounds warmer and better to me. Thats why I bought a 2 inch 24 track deck, cause digital cant get the mechanical side of the analog properties. Its just so mechanical and digital is nothing but a bunch of steril 0 &1s. Digital is to easy and analog throws me challenges. Thats what I love challenges, I love the glitches that comes any time, wow and flutter, transport and tape movement makes that sound, digital can't capture a moving part sound.

[Musiticianist]

I also make Digital Music because the entire media is much less expensive, but analog sounds richer. I guess the wider frequencies we're not supposed to be able to hear make the difference? Or is our mind able to hear the dropped bits that we can't conciously hear? I wish I knew conclusively what's going on.

[omghai2u]

analog sounds much better but this guy is a stubborn fuck trying to say its better for editing and that its more fragile

[HellBent1337]

I love that mp3s are taking over CDs because people are finally getting super annoyed with the shitty quality that has been around since the start of the 80s. Records are coming back in places like best buy and target, and people are finally figuring out that analog is vastly superior to digital.

[NeoToasty]

MP3s are good as long as you're not getting nailed by the RIAA.

[sk8bum321]

the digital guy is such a tool.

[lymph12]

well, try comparing digital with old analogue recording devices from the 70s

[penedenebe]

what is the name of the song played in the test?

[pur4forlyphe]

I make computer music (digital) but i think analog sounds much better

[nettingapplause]

haha you put "ruck" in the description

nicks gonna be pissed