analog/digital

[paresh]

Hi guys - I've been doing hard disc recording for a couple of yrs now & it finally ocurred to me why I just don't like my sound - I think it's bec it lacks the warmth/natural compression of tape recording. At first I was pleased to get a sound card that has good fidelity - what goes in is what comes out. And yet, it sounds shrill or overly bright to me. Or something I just can't describe. And with vocals the deviations from correct pitch seem to be exaggerated compared w analog. Is this true or am I just making this up?? I get so critical of my playing, it's hard to listen to. I wd appreciate any thoughts or ways others have compensated. thanks

 

[Rock Star 87]

welcome to our hell. all of the preceding was true. there are some plug-ins and equipment to alleviate the pain, but that's all i know.

 

[MadAudio]

Yeah, it's a tough transition, but I'm SO thankful my audio "upbringing" was in the analog domain. GIGO is a major factor in the digital world, and if you know how to make it sound good before you get to the converters, the better off you are. It'll get better, and the advantages digital offers are worth the wait.

P.S. Imagine each sentence above starts with "IMO."

 

[gtrman_66]

While analog tape most certainly has a character all it's own, digital recording doesn't have to be "cold,shrill, harsh" or anything else that is often attributed to it. I have recorded on both and I can tell you, poorly recorded analog can exhibit these same undesirable artifacts.

Digital recording is simply a mirror. It is neither cold nor warm, it just gives back pretty much exactly what is put onto the recording. If you want "warm" recordings on digital, record "warm" sounding sources with "warm" sounding mics, preamps etc. in "warm" sounding rooms. Great converters don't hurt either.

Analog is great, no doubt. Most all of my favorite albums were recorded on 2" analog tape, but with the shutdown of Quantegy and the possible end of analog tape production for good, analog may not be a viable alternative for much longer.

 

[gtrman_66]

...and if you know how to make it sound good before you get to the converters, the better off you are.

Sage advice. If your stuff is sounding really harsh, try backing off the preamp gain and running up the fader to level. If the artifacts your preamps make when pushed aren't desirable, it's best to avoid them altogether.

 

[DigitalSmigital]

Time's a-wastin'...

the analog choice won't be here forever. At mixdown, digital has many advantages. But once it's done, tape sounds the best, to me. Sure, the problem with digital recording is not in the process, but in the delivery system. 48kHz and 24 bit resolution sounds great until you master at 16 bit/44.1

 

[Blue Bear Sound]

If someone doesn't like the sound of their digital recordings, that points to the deficiencies of a budget signal path, along with poor quality A/D converters.

Use the same signal path with an analog recorder, it will sound equally bad.

 

[Track Rat]

Bruce, why do we even come into these threads?

 

[Blue Bear Sound]

Bruce, why do we even come into these threads?

'Cos we gotta keep up the fight, T-Rat! It's tough educating people, but someone's gotta do it!!!

 

[Cloneboy Studio]

One thing to remember is that newbies sound even WORSE on the analog medium than they typically do in digital, as long as they don't clip the inputs.

Analog is way trickier, at first, to get to sound good... hiss, limited dynamic range... etc...

 

[Blue Bear Sound]

One thing to remember is that newbies sound even WORSE on the analog medium than they typically do in digital, as long as they don't clip the inputs.

I agree wholeheartedly!

 

[lpdeluxe]

analog digital

1. Copy and paste those two words into "search", reached by clicking on the "Search" button in the blue line near the top.

2. Read all 500 [no, I am not kidding] posts on the subject.

3. If you have any questions left, feel free to ask.

 

[chessrock]

Reading threads like these are sort of comforting to me.

Like a piece of nostalga.

Like a favorite song from when you were a kid, playing on the radio.

Like an old friend paying a visit.

Like an old smelly sock or a used condom you find underneath your bed when you finally get around to cleaning your room.

 

[MadAudio]

Like an old smelly sock or a used condom you find underneath your bed when you finally get around to cleaning your room.

Remind me to wear gloves to your next party.

 

[mattamatta]

Most of the time, analog actually SMELLS like fecal matter!!!


possibly...