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ForumsMusic Discussion and Showcase → Guitar Effects: Digital vs. Analog
Guitar Effects: Digital vs. Analog
2004-02-26, 4:07 PM #1
At first, this is a poll, but may progress into further discussion.

What type of effects do you prefer to use with your axe? Digital or Analog?

To me, digital is sufficient for things like reverb, echo, chorus, wah, flange, and phasing. Heavy distortion is amazing. I have yet to hear heavy analog distortion that compares to digital. It should be possible, but would require a *lot* of transistor amplification stages.

Light distortion ('60s and '70s) is different. I had a hard time trying to get a good light distortion that sounded like '60s style. Eventually, I managed. So for lighter distortion, I prefer analog.

Ideally, I'd like to see a processor released that can offer both digital and analog distortion, controlled by a digital interface. (That means that the gain of the distortion would be controlled digitally, regardless of distortion type.) Sadly, I don't think such an effect processor exists. If it does, send it my way. [http://forums.massassi.net/html/smile.gif]

Discuss.

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"Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." - Proverbs 27:17

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2004-02-26, 5:03 PM #2
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">What type of effects do you prefer to use with your axe? </font>


None. If I could be heard above a big band with my classical, I would.

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Shut up. I'm GOING to do this whether you like it or not.
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2004-02-26, 5:09 PM #3
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by DogSRoOL:
At first, this is a poll, but may progress into further discussion.

What type of effects do you prefer to use with your axe? Digital or Analog?

To me, digital is sufficient for things like reverb, echo, chorus, wah, flange, and phasing. Heavy distortion is amazing. I have yet to hear heavy analog distortion that compares to digital. It should be possible, but would require a *lot* of transistor amplification stages.

Light distortion ('60s and '70s) is different. I had a hard time trying to get a good light distortion that sounded like '60s style. Eventually, I managed. So for lighter distortion, I prefer analog.

Ideally, I'd like to see a processor released that can offer both digital and analog distortion, controlled by a digital interface. (That means that the gain of the distortion would be controlled digitally, regardless of distortion type.) Sadly, I don't think such an effect processor exists. If it does, send it my way. [http://forums.massassi.net/html/smile.gif]

Discuss.

</font>


Never heard good analog distortion?

Go to a music store. Find a tube head, preferably a Marshall or a Mesa Boogie.
Put the volume at like, 5, and crank the gain.
Strum a chord. What do you hear? The fattest ****ing distortion you'll ever hear.
2004-02-26, 5:18 PM #4
analog preserves the tone much better than digital ever can since digital effects require the analog guitar signal to be converted to digital then back to analog and the conversion causes some accuracy to be lost even though most digital effects units have good quality conversion

i have a nice small selection of great analog pedals the DOD FX68 Super Stereo Chorus is one of the best chorus pedals i've heard IMO... (my two favorites are that one and the Electro Harmonix Small Clone)

and distortion is always best through analog and tube is better than solid state

of course this all depends on the sound i'm going for

i still find myself using my rp100 alot... because it's actually useable with headphones/direct recording because of the cab/mic models

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wang is within all

[This message has been edited by DrkJedi82 (edited February 26, 2004).]
eat right, exercise, die anyway
2004-02-26, 5:20 PM #5
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by powertickle:
Never heard good analog distortion?

Go to a music store. Find a tube head, preferably a Marshall or a Marshall.
Put the volume at like, 5, and crank the gain.
Strum a chord. What do you hear? The sexiest ****ing distortion you'll ever hear.
</font>


fixed [http://forums.massassi.net/html/tongue.gif]

what can i say... i'm a marshall whore


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wang is within all
eat right, exercise, die anyway
2004-02-26, 5:46 PM #6
Who needs distortion? Give me a good delay/reverb effect and I'll be happy. But I do prefer analog over digital. To me digital effects lack a certain sound quality...

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please *
"Those ****ing amateurs... You left your dog, you idiots!"
2004-02-26, 6:07 PM #7
Trust me, there is no way in hell that digital effects can be better than analog as of RIGHT NOW. The reason is because no matter how many oscillators, patches, or modules you have on your digital effect, it just can't recreate that analog chunk. That's why in my league of music producers, we all use analog out-board effects for our electronic music when possible. Sure, we can have slightly more control with digital, but it just doesn't hit. Even top-market programs like izotope trash and the psp vintage warmer can't compare to an analog tool of the same kind. Do I use digital? Yes. Do I use the alternative whenever possible, of ****ing course [http://forums.massassi.net/html/smile.gif]
</sarcasm>
<Anovis> mmmm I wanna lick your wet, Mentis.
__________
2004-02-27, 6:55 AM #8
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by powertickle:
Never heard good analog distortion?</font>
Is that what I said? No. Both analog and digital have their ups and downs. I still say I'd prefer analog effects with digital interface.

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"Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." - Proverbs 27:17

Catalog of Electronic Components - Complete IC data sheets
National Electrical Code (NEC) Online - Don't do wiring without consulting it. OR ELSE!

[This message has been edited by DogSRoOL (edited February 27, 2004).]
Catloaf, meet mouseloaf.
My music
2004-02-27, 6:57 AM #9
links don't work
</sarcasm>
<Anovis> mmmm I wanna lick your wet, Mentis.
__________
2004-02-27, 7:00 AM #10
I noticed. I'll take them out and put the files somewhere else, if I can. Then I'll put the links back.

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"Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." - Proverbs 27:17

Catalog of Electronic Components - Complete IC data sheets
National Electrical Code (NEC) Online - Don't do wiring without consulting it. OR ELSE!
Catloaf, meet mouseloaf.
My music
2004-02-27, 12:04 PM #11
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by DogSRoOL:
Is that what I said? No. Both analog and digital have their ups and downs. I still say I'd prefer analog effects with digital interface.

</font>


here ya go not exactly an effects unit but a good tube preamp with digital interface


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wang is within all

[This message has been edited by DrkJedi82 (edited February 27, 2004).]
eat right, exercise, die anyway
2004-02-27, 3:13 PM #12
Thanks, but it's out of my price range, and is midi. Me = no midi guitar (as of now). But it sounded excellent.

Anyway, here's what I tried to put up a few posts back. Hopefully yahoo's server will cooperate with mp3 formats:
Just for fun, let's see if anyone can figure out which of the following effects were produce digitally or analogously. Please forgive my timing. They're just samples, anyway.
1 2 3 4 5 6

[edit: Links work!]

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"Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." - Proverbs 27:17

Catalog of Electronic Components - Complete IC data sheets
National Electrical Code (NEC) Online - Don't do wiring without consulting it. OR ELSE!

[This message has been edited by DogSRoOL (edited February 27, 2004).]
Catloaf, meet mouseloaf.
My music
2004-02-27, 3:18 PM #13
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by DrkJedi82:
analog preserves the tone much better than digital ever can since digital effects require the analog guitar signal to be converted to digital then back to analog and the conversion causes some accuracy to be lost even though most digital effects units have good quality conversion</font>
Barely any accuracy gets lost. After all, audio CDs are digital.
I've been able to get some incredible tone with digital. Then again, my processors, like my pedals, have tone control.
The problems with digital are primarily with distortion, since saturating a transistor with digital data produces a different effect than it does with analog data.

Tube distortion I like, but do not have at my disposal. I have simulators, but it's not the same. Tubes use a lot more power, anyway (not that that would matter unless you're running off batteries).

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"Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." - Proverbs 27:17

Catalog of Electronic Components - Complete IC data sheets
National Electrical Code (NEC) Online - Don't do wiring without consulting it. OR ELSE!

[This message has been edited by DogSRoOL (edited February 27, 2004).]
Catloaf, meet mouseloaf.
My music
2004-02-27, 4:04 PM #14
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by DogSRoOL:
Thanks, but it's out of my price range, and is midi. Me = no midi guitar (as of now). But it sounded excellent.

</font>


you don't seem to understand MIDI is used for connecting the device to other devices such as a foot controller

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wang is within all
eat right, exercise, die anyway
2004-02-27, 4:29 PM #15
You sure? There's a similar midi-module at my church that accepts midi inputs, but outputs standard analog. (It's for a keyboard, though).

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"Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." - Proverbs 27:17

Catalog of Electronic Components - Complete IC data sheets
National Electrical Code (NEC) Online - Don't do wiring without consulting it. OR ELSE!
Catloaf, meet mouseloaf.
My music
2004-02-27, 4:41 PM #16
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by DogSRoOL:
You sure? There's a similar midi-module at my church that accepts midi inputs, but outputs standard analog. (It's for a keyboard, though).

</font>


yeah i'm sure... my friend has one and i've used it... anyway it's still expensive i'd love to have one but the cost of it plus a poweramp and a good cab would end up being more than a TSL100 half stack setup...

i'm gonna "settle" for this ... after i get a job and money that is...

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wang is within all
eat right, exercise, die anyway
2004-02-28, 4:34 AM #17
There's three listings at ebay for a much cheaper price.

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"Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." - Proverbs 27:17

Catalog of Electronic Components - Complete IC data sheets
National Electrical Code (NEC) Online - Don't do wiring without consulting it. OR ELSE!
Catloaf, meet mouseloaf.
My music
2004-02-28, 8:54 AM #18
I just got a Boss GT 6, and I am absolutely overwhelmed, the sound is great tough I have a cheap guitar and a cheap amp. It's amp modulation is great, the distortion is great.
I heard a lot of good things about it, I don't think I am the only one who likes it.

It has everything I need [http://forums.massassi.net/html/smile.gif] (even a bit more, I don't need that synthezizer stuff)

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My levels

www.i.hate.matyy.de

pazarol a világ, én meg segitek neki
My levels
2004-02-29, 4:28 PM #19
I'm not a big fan of distortion. Period.

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I am a nobody, and nobody is perfect; therefore, I am perfect.

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My Canada includes Beavers.
2004-03-01, 2:53 AM #20
I've got a Peavey 5150 MkII Head and quadbox. All tube distortion, and it sounds fan f*****g tastic. If I had the money, I would have bought a Hughes and Kettner, or a Dual Rectifier (however the clean tone of the dual rec isn't that good.)

Dogsrool - Out of all the CD's in your CD collection that have distorion in them, I can guarantee that over 90% of the distortion tones were made by tube amps.
2004-03-01, 4:18 AM #21
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Chuckles:
I've got a Peavey 5150 MkII Head and quadbox. All tube distortion, and it sounds fan f*****g tastic. If I had the money, I would have bought a Hughes and Kettner, or a Dual Rectifier (however the clean tone of the dual rec isn't that good.)

Dogsrool - Out of all the CD's in your CD collection that have distorion in them, I can guarantee that over 90% of the distortion tones were made by tube amps.
</font>


5150.. wasn't that Van Halen's amp?

I have a Hughes and Kettner, silver edition [http://forums.massassi.net/html/tongue.gif] Custom voiced Celestion 12", but solid state though, but still sounds awesome [http://forums.massassi.net/html/smile.gif]
2004-03-01, 11:41 AM #22
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by DogSRoOL:
What type of effects do you prefer to use with your axe? Digital or Analog?</font>


I like dipping my axe in oil, and then setting it aflame. It gets this awesome streak of flame behind it.. and there's that satisfying "flunque" as it hits the other person's torso, and then they burst into flame. It's so amazing..

I don't understand what you mean by digital or analog though..

[http://forums.massassi.net/html/tongue.gif]

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2004-03-01, 12:04 PM #23
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by MaD CoW:
5150.. wasn't that Van Halen's amp?

</font>


he uses it and he helped design it...

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wang is within all
eat right, exercise, die anyway
2004-03-02, 8:10 AM #24
I think you said it was out of your price range but basic Amp distortion, like distortion settings on the actual amp are usually 900x better than any pedal. I played on a really awesome Mesa Boogie this weekend. Fun stuff.

Other than that. Check out Ibanez's Tube Screamer pedal.

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please *

[This message has been edited by Schming (edited March 02, 2004).]
"Those ****ing amateurs... You left your dog, you idiots!"
2004-03-02, 12:13 PM #25
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Schming:

Other than that. Check out Ibanez's Tube Screamer pedal.

</font>


i would also suggest the Boss SD-1

and if you look into a tube screamer look for a TS808 instead of a TS9 Ibanez recently decided to give the TS808 the reissue treatment

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wang is within all
eat right, exercise, die anyway
2004-03-04, 3:49 PM #26
Is nobody going to take my challenge?
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Just for fun, let's see if anyone can figure out which of the following effects were produce digitally or analogously. Please forgive my timing. They're just samples, anyway.
1 2 3 4 5 6</font>


------------------
"Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." - Proverbs 27:17

Catalog of Electronic Components - Complete IC data sheets
National Electrical Code (NEC) Online - Don't do wiring without consulting it. OR ELSE!
Catloaf, meet mouseloaf.
My music
2004-03-05, 12:39 AM #27
Or if you need realy good amp modulation, get some line 6 products. They sound great and a lot of bands use em for recording, because they sound good allready with little volume. [http://forums.massassi.net/html/smile.gif]

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My levels

www.i.hate.matyy.de

pazarol a világ, én meg segitek neki
My levels
2004-03-07, 11:45 AM #28
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by DogSRoOL:
Is nobody going to take my challenge? </font>


Am I the only one who can't access his samples? [http://forums.massassi.net/html/confused.gif]

Oh, and I prefer analog over digital, but I only use digital because that's pretty much all that I have at my disposal. I'll mic my amp (SS though, not tube [http://forums.massassi.net/html/frown.gif]), and record that dry. Any chorus, delays, reverbs, flanges and stuff like that, I'll use DX plugins for that.

I've already recorded a song, all DIed into the computer, I didn't even bother mic-ing my amp: Intro to Still Loving You. I'll use iZotope Trash, and sometimes Ozone to warm things up a bit.

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When guitars are outlawed, only outlaws will have guitars.

[This message has been edited by MaD CoW (edited March 07, 2004).]
2004-03-07, 4:42 PM #29
Ack!
Yahoo's file server SUX[/i].
Try this or this, then (if the files actually show up), try the files listed 1-6.mp3
If not, screw the whole thing.

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"Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." - Proverbs 27:17

Catalog of Electronic Components - Complete IC data sheets
National Electrical Code (NEC) Online - Don't do wiring without consulting it. OR ELSE!

[This message has been edited by DogSRoOL (edited March 07, 2004).]
Catloaf, meet mouseloaf.
My music
2004-03-07, 5:16 PM #30
1 - Very bad digital distortion, or your amp speaker is torn
2 - Digital, but not too bad - too much hiss
3 - Digital, sounds very nice, back lacks a certain presence that a real camp would have in a club (think Fade to Black by Dire Straits)
4 - Almost sounds like the line-out on my amp, plugged direct without a speaker-sim. Digital.
5 - Digital
6 - I would've liked to hear the distortion without the phaser... ummm... were any of the sounds analog? Or were they analog and plugged direct without mic-ing an amp? Cause I'm sorry, but other than the clean sounds, I thought these sounded terrible (not your playing though, you're good [http://forums.massassi.net/html/wink.gif]).



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When guitars are outlawed, only outlaws will have guitars.
2004-03-07, 5:33 PM #31
Here's a good sounding digital distortion. [http://forums.massassi.net/html/smile.gif]

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When guitars are outlawed, only outlaws will have guitars.
2004-03-07, 5:53 PM #32
My processor hisses because I think I may have partly fried it (at least the digital ones). I'm using a power supply that might not have the right amperage rating. I used to think it was my guitar pickups, but I got a new guitar and... no change.
Plus I add a lotta bass tone to my distortion... and the guitar I used is unnecessarily bassy.

I'll wait a while and see if anyone else posts before I give answers. [http://forums.massassi.net/html/wink.gif]

I added 5 more mp3s, too.

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"Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." - Proverbs 27:17

Catalog of Electronic Components - Complete IC data sheets
National Electrical Code (NEC) Online - Don't do wiring without consulting it. OR ELSE!

[This message has been edited by DogSRoOL (edited March 07, 2004).]
Catloaf, meet mouseloaf.
My music

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