analog recording
Non-digital sound preservation
Analog recording captures sound as a continuous physical representation—variations in a magnetic field on tape, grooves in vinyl, fluctuations in an electrical signal.
This contrasts with digital recording, which samples sound at intervals and converts it to numerical data.
Enthusiasts prize analog for its warmth and natural character: The album was made using analog recording techniques.
The term applies to both the process and the resulting medium.
- magnetic tapeCoated strip storing data
- cassette tapeMagnetic recording medium
- reel-to-reel tapeAudio medium with exposed spools
- quarter inchOne-fourth of an inch
- vinyl recordGrooved analog audio disc
vinyl · music production · sound engineer · mixing console · phonograph · tape deck · master tape · splice · acetate · warm sound · preamplifier · oxide · tape hiss · broadcasting · tape · playback · wow · hiss
- audiosound, headphones, audio track, volume control, noise
- audio mediavinyl, LP, CD, cassette, 8-track
- analog audiotape, turntable, vinyl, record player, phonograph
- VHSVHS, VHS tape, videotape, VCR, rewind
- lo-fi aestheticslo-fi, cassette tape, tape hiss, distortion, four-track
- recordingmixing, mastering, editing, overdubbing, multitracking
analog recordingdigital recording
Sound captured numerically
digital audio · digital media · digital signal · MP3 · FLAC