What do they mean by too Digital?

[Guitarstalker]

Hey there,

I was wondering wad do ppl mean when they say ur tone sounds too digital.Anyone can school me on that?

 

[blueprintstudios]

digital sounding guitar = line6 / vst plugins like amplitube,guitar rig,etc / behringer V-Amp.

 

[bigblackbear]

i think it's a bit hard to explain them in words.
but check out line6's products and you might get an idea

 

[halfastepdown]

The tone doesn't... PUNCH YOU IN THE FACE?

Haha how to describe!?

 

[PatheinRaindropMoe]

if its tone in general, then forget bout the below. If its tone to do with only guitar, then proceed


















































those people who say guitar tone is too digital, are cyborg. They can hear the 1 and 0 within the sound. Never trust them

Digital, as in digital electronic, is a huge subject by itself. Some of the guitarist who wanna talk about digital tone in forum, prolly fail to understand that there is no easy way, definitive answer to what is digital tone. Other then some big vauge words that doesnt make sense in general, other then to the few who prolly are cyborg nerd as well.

fact of fiction, you decide

 

[alshit]

People always wanna look for that "analog warmth" but they dunno how to explain. But you can get that warmth through digital effects too especially if they have those tube emulation thing, that's if you're expert in sound design and know how to fiddle with those 16 bands EQs.

 

[kongwee]

It is hard to say. Most people will feel digital is very "clean and thin". Those who play vinyl and digital source content will know what is it. For simulator for guitar amp and tube amps, it just cannot give correct "sound". The real thing will have too many physical and electronic parameter that affect the outcome of the sound. That why people want to record it "live" whatever they can.

 

[grarrgrarr]

regarding digital guitar tone, i guess the best example is a line 6 spider amp. it sounds obvious that the drive is from a cheap DSP chip rather than some sort of analog clipping stage.

 

[L3on2k]

multi-fx or analog?

I think ah, you gotta play around with different pedals first, including multi-effects pedals. then sooner or later, you'll notice a slight difference. very slight difference, but you can tell that analog pedals (most of the time) sound more like... full. I myself use a multi-fx pedal, I know it doesnt sound as good as analog pedals, but i really don't give a shit when people tell me my tone sucks because it sounds too digital or because im using a multi-fx. seriously, go with what you like. the most irritating part about getting effects is when you don't really know what you want. it is also when you waste alot of money. haha.

 

[wasp]

I'm satisfied with the sound my V-amp bass pro is giving. Its far from the holy grail of digital distortion but its worth the money compare to similar products by other brands (at least thats what people in harmony central are saying, I don't have the luxury to try everything you know) and its ideal for my situation.

 

[teokiatuan]

digital is...


have to listen for yourself la

 

[6969]

this is a very good topic..

thanks for the explaination and advice..

but seriously, if u're looking for the analog warmth, it will be a very costly recording..

i personally think that there's no problem if u sound digital as long as it sounded good

 

[VidaK]

It isn't that hard to explain what it means by sounding digital

If any tone sound digital, it is because the sound modulation will be exactly the same, every time you play the note it will sound the same. E.g. If you adjust a fuzz pedal to... 40Hz, it will modulate 40 times a sec (40Hz), so the fuzz will remain at this level, not more saturated or less unless you do something to the pedal.

As for analog sounds, they sound similiar, but not exactly the same. Its like having a tube amp's overdrive crackling, it won't sound exactly the same with every chord. The different characteristics of analog effects / tube amps are what we call... character.

 

[echoist]

Interesting topic, but very difficult question to answer...

Of course there's a marked difference in the sonic characters between a digital and analog recordings/equipmnt. Some say sterile vs warmth, clean vs dirty, perfect vs unpolished, and so on... But really, really impossible to nail in words.

I'll reference these albums for comparison (though my choice is definitely debatable to most):
Primus - Brown Album
very analog sounding, lots of fuzziness to the overall sound. the drums even sounds distorted at times. love it that way. a very DELICIOUS album.. not sure if Les' studio is digital or analog though.

Lenny Kravitz - Are You Gonna Go My Way
this is definitely analog. my ears says so too! Kravitz claimed he recorded this album in a purely analog studio. very, very, nice sounding album... LOVE the vibe, the "oldness" and smokiness of the overall album.

Megadeth - Countdown To Extinction
my ears scream digital here. very, very CLEAN. every note, thud, sound is clear+transparent. i find this album really perfect, soundwise, production wise. love this album too.

There, if you manage to get hold of those albums and take a listen and compare them, maybe it will tell the story a bit. Or maybe not... like i said, its a very difficult question to answer! :mrgreen:

 

[Guitarstalker]

Wow.i've seen the responses and i didnt noe that this was such a difficult thread lol.