Poll: Analog Recording vs Computer Recording

[crazy_easy41]

....

[Eric(h)]

It depends on what you mean by "analog recording" and "computer recording". If by analog you mean regular cassette tape, then computer recording all the way. If by computer recording you mean MP3, then analog all the way. So I cannot vote in your poll. However, i'll throw in my two cents.

The top of the line analog tape thats used in professional recording studio, which is something along the lines of 3" wide I think, is still possibly the best medium for which to record audio on.

However, relativly recent digital technology, such as the DSD technology used on SACDs, are quite similar, and offer an almost exact digital replica of the analog waveform.

In the end, though, if you have good equipment and a good soundcard, getting a 16bit wave recording on your computer is way better than putting it on a cassette.

[j_wyse]

Sold most of my analog stuff years ago (anyone intersted in a 16x8x2 console? cheap!).
Don't miss the 1" tape 8 track for a second. Much more conducive to a one man show to just hit record and go, no head cleaning, rewinding to the right spot, storing tape(which is expensive). Now I've got an awsome Roland setup, VM3100pro mixer to
a Rambus card, can record 8in and out all on one scsi cable to the puter.

Jim

[eviltuna7]

digital is where its at right now. Any of the large recording studio's use digital simply because it is so much easier to use, and saves so much space. In many cases it also sounds wayyyy better.

[Eric(h)]

Analogue's biggest problem is the noise. Digital's biggest problem is the frequency response. If youre using high quality studio grade analogue tape at 28ips, there wont be any noise, and the frequency responce will be 5hz - 45khz. 16bit PCM wave recording on your computer is 20hz - 22khz @ 44.1khz, higher quality 24bit PCM is 20hz - 45khz @ 96khz. Direct Stream Digital, used on SACDs, can have a frequency response of 2hz - 100kHz, outdoing analogue in both frequency response and noise. Is it exact to the analogue recording? I've no fucking idea. Im sure at least 99.9% of the information is there if it isnt, though.

So use your discretion when recording, so long as you know everything about what youre recording on and what its going to be mixed to. cassette vs computer, go computer. highest grade analog tape vs computer, go analogue. highest grade analogue vs DSD, id say DSD, but im still learning about it.