Both digital and analog recording equipment can elevate your recordings to new heights. Both have great benefits and also drawbacks, and the subsequent equipment of each operates very differently.

Here are the topics we’re exploring to attempt to answer this question:

The biggest difference between analog and digital audio signals is that analog signals are electrical whereas digital signals are binary.

But, consequently, there are three differences that relate to how we interact with each.

First and foremost, how information is stored is the biggest difference between analog and digital recording.

For example, analog equipment stores audio information by creating a magnetic charge along magnetic tape.

Another example is vinyl where impressing physical grooves on the discs creates a track for a turn table stylus to run through. Then the stylus recreates the electrical signal via a thin wire in the stylus.

And in contrast, digital audio stores information as binary data (1s and 0s), otherwise known as digital data.

Computers are digital systems and their hard drives store information as binary data that we can access on the system.

Secondly, analog gear distributes audio information via electrical current. The fluctuations in the strength of the current reflect the peaks and troughs of the sound wave, allowing for accurate reproduction of the audio amplitude levels via a speaker.

Microphones are analog equipment. While recording with a microphone, it converts soundwaves into an alternating electrical signal that your audio interface or tape deck can receive.

But your computer can only read binary information. So your audio interface converts the electrical signal into a digital one and distributes it to your computer.

Finally, analog equipment processes audio via electrical current too. Outboard units like EQs utilize line-level voltage to process audio signals.

In other words, we can add effects and apply processing to analog signals by manipulating the electrical signal.

And, you guessed it, digital audio does so by manipulating binary data that holds the information about the digital audio.

Now that we have a brief understanding of analog signals, we can put them in the context of recording equipment.

Digital signals are binary and are ‘transparent’ more often than not, whereas analog signals are electrical signals.

So if you’re looking for a warm recording with some vintage characteristics, analog equipment is the way to make that a reality.

Analog recording equipment has been around for a long time. In fact, Alexander Graham Bell patented the first microphone in 1876!

As we discussed above, microphones are an analog recording method that convert soundwaves into alternating current (AC).

Then we can imprint this signal onto analog master tapes through magnetization with large reels or cassettes, or onto vinyl records with spiral grooves.

Whereas today we would use an XLR cable to transport our electrical signal to our audio interface, true analog recording imprints the signal directly onto tape.

Analog tape is the highest quality analog recording and playback option.

Here we can store the electrical current from our microphone as charges on long magnetized tape.

You can somewhat liken this process to the digital to analog conversion.

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