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The Musician Forums => Guitar Central => Topic started by: dmolester on September 03, 2017, 11:05:49 AM
Title: Why switch from analog to digital?
Post by: dmolester on September 03, 2017, 11:05:49 AM
It is the concensus among musicians that analog is better than digital multi effects in terms of tone and other things. I myself would want to be one day an analaog user after years of using multi effects. However, I've seen people in the classifieds section selling their analog rig for the reason that they were shifting/going back to multi effects. My question is why? Have any of you done this? For what reason? Is the practicality of multi effects outweighs the tonality the analog gives? Thanks for the response.
Title: Re: Why switch from analog to digital?
Post by: shoegaze geezer on September 03, 2017, 01:12:44 PM
analog and digital are both good. depends on the kind of sound you are looking for and specific applications. for me, i use analog on dirt and other modulations like chorus(seldom used) flanger and tremolo. but digital on delays and reverbs.
Title: Re: Why switch from analog to digital?
Post by: dewberry on September 03, 2017, 07:57:56 PM
Other reasons ng iba siguro is if active ka sa mga amature gigs dito sa Pinas, hindi usually kagandahan mga amplifiers na sometimes maganda pa tunog ng drive sa Multi Effects compared sa analog plus less noise. And many mga expensive analog drives na mimili ng amp so sayang investment if your active sa gigs sa atin.
Title: Re: Why switch from analog to digital?
Post by: dmolester on September 03, 2017, 10:57:58 PM
Oh I see, so ganun pala.. No wonder ung mga show bands uses multiefx rather than analog. In the long run, practicality counts more esp. Sa situation dito sa pinas na hindi nagiinvest mga bars and sound system rentals sa quality amps. Salamat po sa response.
Title: Re: Why switch from analog to digital?
Post by: juwanfidle09 on September 04, 2017, 02:26:06 AM
For me it's the convenience of having access to lots of tones, as well as the uses tulad ng pwede ako magdual amp or isang naka-amp and direct sa PA. In addition sa uses, mas madali din yung reamping process for me. :)
Title: Re: Why switch from analog to digital?
Post by: broduo on September 04, 2017, 09:05:17 AM
It is the concensus among musicians that analog is better than digital multi effects in terms of tone and other things. I myself would want to be one day an analaog user after years of using multi effects. However, I've seen people in the classifieds section selling their analog rig for the reason that they were shifting/going back to multi effects. My question is why? Have any of you done this? For what reason? Is the practicality of multi effects outweighs the tonality the analog gives? Thanks for the response.
Why switch when you can own both.
Title: Re: Why switch from analog to digital?
Post by: satch on September 04, 2017, 06:27:29 PM
If you can afford both, good. Pero for the working class musicians (not speaking for myself but eto sabi ni utol who has been a sessionist for more than a decade), mas madali bitbitin multi-effects kung saan saan lalo na sa nag cocommute and less expensive owning and building your tone on high quality amp + analog effects.
Kung alam mo paano kalikutin effects mo, even a zoom 505 will sound good live.
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Title: Re: Why switch from analog to digital?
Post by: satch on September 04, 2017, 06:48:02 PM
As for me naman. I just recently got back from playing guitar ulit. During my younger years, late 90s, i use analog for reasons that sila idol uses them and how much the tone is different with digital fx. Pero now so much have changed with regards to sound processing techs, im just being open on trying it out. If i can get a good tone out of it, its good enough for me as i am not a gigging musician or doing any professional recording.
Im much more concerned on my actual playing kesa sa gear. :D
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Title: Re: Why switch from analog to digital?
Post by: CeL1916 on September 04, 2017, 08:47:43 PM
Put both on your board and its a win.
For gigging musicians naman, they prefer multi kase it gets the job done naman and madali pa bitbitin. Para saan pa yung "bowtik" all analog set-up mo, kung yung bar na tutugtugan mo eh 30 watts SS global naman ang amp.
Title: Re: Why switch from analog to digital?
Post by: kellinquinn on September 04, 2017, 10:52:38 PM
3 lang ang analog na gamet ko dirt eq and delay
but now plano ko pa mag downsize sa Zoom Multistomp MS50G
dahil nahihirapan din ako may pedal board pang bitbit
ok kaya yung naisip ko? :-)
Title: Re: Why switch from analog to digital?
Post by: nicoyow on September 04, 2017, 11:44:59 PM
the reason why modelers were built was convenience. sounds like analog, but in a compact housing and digital interface.
but for TS' question, Imagine adding an analog and tape delay on your board.
ex: this guy (https://i.imgur.com/xmtY2Ch.jpg) and this guy (https://i.imgur.com/i0DPv9Q.jpg) on your board.
:lol: :lol:
other than adding this dude (https://i.imgur.com/qu5uttY.jpg)
the reason why some guys went analog then change some of the pedals and add digital/modelers is because the number of option you can do on a certain pedal. sound plus compact is the deal breaker nowadays.
:wave:
Title: Re: Why switch from analog to digital?
Post by: waterbury on September 05, 2017, 12:00:08 AM
Para saan pa yung "bowtik" all analog set-up mo, kung yung bar na tutugtugan mo eh 30 watts SS global naman ang amp.
This is the point all folks keep on missing. Get your basic amp tone right first.
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Title: Re: Why switch from analog to digital?
Post by: randymarsh on September 10, 2017, 08:28:35 AM
I have digital gear (Axe FX, Eleven Rack, bunch of pedals) and analog gear. I still prefer analog stuff over digital when I'm playing pero minsan hindi viable gumamit ng analog (e.g. practicing in an apartment, quick recording)
While my Axe FX can emulate certain amp sounds, I still can feel the lag in between the moment the pick hit the strings and the sound that comes out from the speaker (or headphones) BUT the lag not as bad as the digital gear that was available 10 years ago (I still remember my Zoom GFX-4. What a crappy piece of gear :lol: ). I have compared my Mesa Boogie, Marshall and Fender amps to my Axe FX and while the sound from the Axe FX is convincing, the dynamics is still not there (the pick attack is articulate and immediate with a Mesa Boogie Mark V).
And as a programmer (I did some microcontroller programming in the past), I have a bit of understanding of the issues with digital amp simulation.
The first source of problem is the AD and DA conversions. This is when an analog signal (the millivolts that comes out from pickups when you hit a string) is converted to zeros and ones (digital information) and vice versa. The sampling rate (where for example, one second of sound is divided into smaller segments for digital conversion) and sampling resolution (the segment is mapped to a digital value) is the first source of the lag.
The second source of the lag is the MIPS (or speed) of the processor and the software code that is running on the gear.
While all of the DAC/ADC and processing can happen in milli or microseconds, there will always be some sort of lag when processing linear information (and hence digital effects lack immediate dynamics and articulation).
I'm okay with time based digitals effects (delay, reverb, chorus) because in most cases the output is the original analog sound (dry) mixed with the digital effect (wet). In this case, lag does not really matter unless you love the inconsistencies and noise of analog time based effects (e.g. tape delay).
With recordings, all the stuff we listen to nowadays are in digital form anyway so it does not matter anymore if a music is recorded with analog or digital gear.
My two cents :-D
Title: Re: Why switch from analog to digital?
Post by: broduo on September 10, 2017, 10:46:26 AM
With recordings, all the stuff we listen to nowadays are in digital form anyway so it does not matter anymore if a music is recorded with analog or digital gear.
:-)
Title: Re: Why switch from analog to digital?
Post by: titser_marco on September 10, 2017, 03:46:53 PM
The first source of problem is the AD and DA conversions. This is when an analog signal (the millivolts that comes out from pickups when you hit a string) is converted to zeros and ones (digital information) and vice versa. The sampling rate (where for example, one second of sound is divided into smaller segments for digital conversion) and sampling resolution (the segment is mapped to a digital value) is the first source of the lag.
The second source of the lag is the MIPS (or speed) of the processor and the software code that is running on the gear.
While all of the DAC/ADC and processing can happen in milli or microseconds, there will always be some sort of lag when processing linear information (and hence digital effects lack immediate dynamics and articulation).
THIS. Digital can get really awfully close to tube amp response but I'm still of the view that it's damn near impossible. Maybe with the response of ss amps but not tube amps.
My thinking is that in essence, a tube amp is really nothing but a big high voltage power supply hooked up to a speaker and a guitar. Unlike digital units, there is power going through the signal chain in a tube amp even when one is not playing (idle current, which is what you set when you bias an amp). That standing current is very sensitive to any disturbances - like a guy playing guitar- and as such all other elements will react almost instantaneously to these disturbances. There is no conversion that happens in tube amps, only shaping of the original analog waveform that comes from a guitar's pickup.
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Title: Re: Why switch from analog to digital?
Post by: pallas on September 20, 2017, 04:17:08 PM
The gap is closing with every new technology and versions of whatever your into pedals, amps, software etc. Convenient as hell.
Sa Photography it has literally surpassed film so in the future we would see 4x12 cabs with no heads but USB ports or bluetooth connected to your phone.
Title: Re: Why switch from analog to digital?
Post by: broduo on September 20, 2017, 10:50:35 PM
And ang gaganda na ang mga multi effect ngayon compared dati. Kailangan sumunod sa teknolohiya
HD effects, IR, interchangeable chain of effects, ,dual amps,Amp matching and tone matching and the amp simulation models malapit na ang tunog sa real amps
Title: Re: Why switch from analog to digital?
Post by: rye715 on October 07, 2017, 08:43:36 PM
And ang gaganda na ang mga multi effect ngayon compared dati. Kailangan sumunod sa teknolohiya
THIS :)
The audience wont even care (or know) na analog ang gamit mo. They just want to listen to the band/music as a whole. Isa or dalawang tao lang siguro ang makakarinig ng difference, at sila ung mga tone-heads na nakaupo dun sa bandang likod ng venue. :)
Title: Re: Why switch from analog to digital?
Post by: Bolt Thrower on October 11, 2017, 06:18:08 AM
Metallica has already switched to a digital amp rig. I have the same reasons too. While tube sounds awesome, I just hate its temperamental nature. It can sound different night after night, venue after venue. With digital rigs, you know what to expect and your sound stays roughly the same. And when you turn up the volume, tube amps can turn to mush real quick. With digital rigs, it just stays clean and crisp no matter the volume.
Here's the vid of Metallica's tech explaining the change.