digital or analog

[electro samurai]

well,
recently ive been thinking of the difference between analog and digital audio.
my questions:
1. are analog amplifiers "warmer" in sound?
2. does digital amplifiers give the same input and output sinus better?
3. witch is better 4 amplifiers?
4. what sound better? analog or digital effectors?
5. what is the difference between analog and digital synths?
help me plz.

thanks to all that reply!

[Havoc]

Don't know very well very you want to end with that question, you are opening a can of worms.

There is nobody that can give a repeatable/scientific/agreed desciption of what a "warm" sound is. Each will have its own, so the question is a moot one. Very often it is the result of antropomorphical thinking when actualy seeing valve amplifiers (the valves are hot, so the sound is warm). All the rest is marketing and philosophy. Only you can decide what you like best.

[sek]

Hi,

1. are analog amplifiers "warmer" in sound?
2. does digital amplifiers give the same input and output sinus better?

A common misconception.

There is no such thing as a digital amplifier. "Digital Amplifier" is a marketing phrase, adopted by customers and sellers with too little knowledge. Sorry if that sounds offending, I appreciate.

You're probably referring to PWM class-d amplifiers. To cut a long story short, they modulate the on/off time ratio of a switching device with the music signal, so that the pulse width (as this ratio is called) becomes proportional to the amplitude of the music signal. But as this puls width is (at all times) a "continuous" value (and not a "discrete" one) with respect to time and amplitude differential, it's an analogue device with a different working principle (compared to traditional voltage/current amplification).

3. witch is better 4 amplifiers?

Sorry, can't understand the question

Do you mean, is it better to decide for digital or analogue amplifiers? Well, if that's what you meant, then an answer would be void here...

4. what sound better? analog or digital effectors?

Are you asking out of a specific intention, e.g. looking for gear?
It all depends on the "effect" you want to achieve. Generally speaking, digital effect units are more "flexible" in the way that you can implement more effects without changing the actual working principle of the unit.

OTOH, it really depends on the implementation of the manufacturer. There's a huge amount of bad digital effect units available.

5. what is the difference between analog and digital synths?

Now, that's a question!

It's a question of taste and experience. As it matters for musicians mostly, you should ask one who can compare by personal experience...

But I start to get your point, after all. Are you trying to find out what's the inherent difference between analogue and digital signal "processing"?

[electro samurai]

Originally posted by sek
But I start to get your point, after all. Are you trying to find out what's the inherent difference between analogue and digital signal "processing"? [/B]

ya.
i dont know squat about digital signal amplifiment, nor processing nor structure... i have yet 2 even find a simple design of a digital effector...


ive built some analog circuits...they were pretty good too...but if u know any simple project that is digital, plz link me 2 it.

thanks 2 all

[fdegrove]

Hi,

There is no such thing as a digital amplifier. "Digital Amplifier" is a marketing phrase, adopted by customers and sellers with too little knowledge.

Are they still marketing those digital speakers too?

but if u know any simple project that is digital, plz link me 2 it.

How about following the "Digital" section of this forum for a few months...Maybe a DAC could be a good project for you to start?

Cheers,

[Frank Berry]

"Are they still marketing those digital speakers too?"

Absolutely! They're on the shelf right next to the "FM Stereo" and "digital TV" antennas.

[sek]

*lol* yeah

For a simple digital project I actually recommend the good old alternating LED flasher. Seriously, as useless as such a project would seem, the behaviour of such a circuit gives a real impression of the inherent difference between the digital and analogue working principles.

Once you've understood that, a DAC would be a cool second "digital" project.

i have yet 2 even find a simple design of a digital effector...

That's the problem I just called inherent to the task. There is no such thing as a "simple" digital effects unit, as processing audio signals with a digital circuit always involves converting the (analogue) audio input into the digital domain, connecting the resulting digital signal to a digital processor, connecting the processed output signal to a unit that does a conversion back into the analogue domain and finally use something to listen to it.

You could indeed use your computer or digital media player as a source for an already digital signal and use a computer or a preamplifier that is capable of accepting digital input signals. But the processor in the middle is still a full fledged computer unit to be built and programmed!

Maybe think of home theatre equipment: imagine a dvd player connected to a ht amplifier. In this case the "amplifier" (which is actually an enclosure with a signal processing unit, analogue preamplifiers and analogue amplifiers in the same box) would have a built-in digital signal input connector (optical or coax), a surround decoder and a row of digital-to-analog converters. It would then supply the now-analogue signal to it's analogue amplifiers.

But the mentioned built-in signal processing unit with it's digital-to-analogue converters already is that kind of a complicated thing I described above.

While such units are relatively cheap to buy, they are not relatively easy to design (or build).

Integrated signal processsing ICs (with prepared software) are available e.g. from Texas Instruments or others, but to design and build a (succeeding) project around them requires a certain degree of education and experience.

Hope this helps.
Sebastian.

[electro samurai]

big headache....ill stick to the analog stuff...though the LED flasher sound kind of cool...if u make lots of them!

thanks 2 all