Gearslutz.com - View Single Post - Analog audio signal through digital device

peglegjoe857 · 20th August 2009

A good pre-amp always helps keep things sounding good. some of what is said above is absolutely right though. the word "analog" doesn't really mean anything special.

I have to admit. I use a Tascam MSR-16, an analog Ramsa mixer, analog synthesizers and drum modules... etc... In fact I don't use a "computer" at all for my music production. But I definitely use digital things. I have vintage samplers that are digital. I have vintage digital reverbs and effects of sorts. I have synths that have digital control and DCO's. So my setup is pretty close to what you are talking about, even though it involves digital machines. My digital machines, though, all have a character that analog COULD NOT produce. 12-bit samplers... gritty reverbs.. that sort of thing. Digital is nothing to be afraid of, it's just how you use it.

To stay all analog you probably wouldn't even be able to do vinyl because chances are you would have to give the company that cuts the vinyl a CD.

But what happens with analog machines is that... like acoustic instruments... there are many more variables that effect the sound. Temp., the power of your house, the age of the unit and how components have broken down over time. They are instruments that you can often interact with more so, because digital machines tend to use buttons and whatnot. Also the frequencies in analog machines interact a lot more because of their imperfect/wavering voltages. It's small.. but the human ear is very sensitive to these kinds of things. Digital is often precise, and that is the problem. All of the frequencies are in perfect relation to one another so there is no humanistic qualities whatsoever. For some machines, this can be good! But then there are digital machines that are 12-bit and are not so perfect. Or 8-bit machines. I tell you, I have an ensoniq mirage and you can sample the exact same thing a million times and it will never come out the same! Digital can make mistakes too!

I am ranting... forgive me.

I remember when I heard about the zeroscillator. An analog oscillator that is stable enough to handle doing the kinds of FM modulations that VCO's could NEVER do. I thought... well that's pretty cool... but why would they do that when digital oscillators have always done FM so well... since the rev. 1 DX7? A VCO that has become SO perfect that it can do FM no longer has any of the venerable qualities of an Analog VCO and is now no better than a digital synthesizer.

I guess what I am getting at is that YES you shouldn't worry about this "analog" "digital" crap. Worry about finding a way of writing music that is inspiring to you. Worry about writing good songs. That is all that's important. If you find that Softs sound so shitty to you that you aren't inspired when writing with them... then ok, get some analog gear. Either way if you write good songs ... who cares what you use.

20th August 2009	#9
peglegjoe857 Gear addict Join Date: May 2009 Location: San Antonio TX Posts: 371	A good pre-amp always helps keep things sounding good. some of what is said above is absolutely right though. the word "analog" doesn't really mean anything special. I have to admit. I use a Tascam MSR-16, an analog Ramsa mixer, analog synthesizers and drum modules... etc... In fact I don't use a "computer" at all for my music production. But I definitely use digital things. I have vintage samplers that are digital. I have vintage digital reverbs and effects of sorts. I have synths that have digital control and DCO's. So my setup is pretty close to what you are talking about, even though it involves digital machines. My digital machines, though, all have a character that analog COULD NOT produce. 12-bit samplers... gritty reverbs.. that sort of thing. Digital is nothing to be afraid of, it's just how you use it. To stay all analog you probably wouldn't even be able to do vinyl because chances are you would have to give the company that cuts the vinyl a CD. But what happens with analog machines is that... like acoustic instruments... there are many more variables that effect the sound. Temp., the power of your house, the age of the unit and how components have broken down over time. They are instruments that you can often interact with more so, because digital machines tend to use buttons and whatnot. Also the frequencies in analog machines interact a lot more because of their imperfect/wavering voltages. It's small.. but the human ear is very sensitive to these kinds of things. Digital is often precise, and that is the problem. All of the frequencies are in perfect relation to one another so there is no humanistic qualities whatsoever. For some machines, this can be good! But then there are digital machines that are 12-bit and are not so perfect. Or 8-bit machines. I tell you, I have an ensoniq mirage and you can sample the exact same thing a million times and it will never come out the same! Digital can make mistakes too! I am ranting... forgive me. I remember when I heard about the zeroscillator. An analog oscillator that is stable enough to handle doing the kinds of FM modulations that VCO's could NEVER do. I thought... well that's pretty cool... but why would they do that when digital oscillators have always done FM so well... since the rev. 1 DX7? A VCO that has become SO perfect that it can do FM no longer has any of the venerable qualities of an Analog VCO and is now no better than a digital synthesizer. I guess what I am getting at is that YES you shouldn't worry about this "analog" "digital" crap. Worry about finding a way of writing music that is inspiring to you. Worry about writing good songs. That is all that's important. If you find that Softs sound so shitty to you that you aren't inspired when writing with them... then ok, get some analog gear. Either way if you write good songs ... who cares what you use.