Having some background in the digital field, I am familiar with the many differences that exist between digital and analog audio. For me, digital audio is most preferred because of its tremendous amount of benefits: convenience, portability, easier to navigate, more cost effective, practically unlimited "virtual" tracks, and being easier to edit. One important difference has to be the process of replication. For instance, every time you make a copy of analog material, you actual loose a degree of quality of that analogue source. In digital reproduction, you are guaranteed of an exact replication of the source.
There are those who do prefer Analogue audio because the sound quality of analogue is still unmatched (hence why vinyl enthusiasts prefer records than CDs). There is a significant loss of a natural, organic quality of sound when it is captured digitally. Truth be told, you need superior high-end stereo equipment to realize the difference.
Another important difference between the two mediums is the way the audio is recorded. According to record producer George Martin: "Ordinary [analog] recording stores the electrical impulses (which have been converted from the pure aural vibration by the microphone) on magnetic tape as magnetic variations in the coating. Digital recording, on the other hand, analyzes the frequencies constantly and stores the information as binary code on tape. If you can imagine `stop-framing' a slice of sound, analyzing it in terms of frequencies, converting the information into numbers to store on tape and doing that 50,000 times a second, that is what a digital recorder does. And on playback, a reverse process takes place." (source: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FXG/is_12_12/ai_63973540)
There are those who do prefer Analogue audio because the sound quality of analogue is still unmatched (hence why vinyl enthusiasts prefer records than CDs). There is a significant loss of a natural, organic quality of sound when it is captured digitally. Truth be told, you need superior high-end stereo equipment to realize the difference.
Another important difference between the two mediums is the way the audio is recorded. According to record producer George Martin: "Ordinary [analog] recording stores the electrical impulses (which have been converted from the pure aural vibration by the microphone) on magnetic tape as magnetic variations in the coating. Digital recording, on the other hand, analyzes the frequencies constantly and stores the information as binary code on tape. If you can imagine `stop-framing' a slice of sound, analyzing it in terms of frequencies, converting the information into numbers to store on tape and doing that 50,000 times a second, that is what a digital recorder does. And on playback, a reverse process takes place." (source: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FXG/is_12_12/ai_63973540)
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