Analog vs digital in mastering

So what is best during mastering, analog or digital sonic processing? This is an old debate and the fact is a good mastering studio should be using a combination of both types of equipment. Mastering means getting the absolute best out of a piece of music before it is released this means compromise is not an option. I believe digital only mastering is a compromise. The reason being is that analog equipment excels at certain types of signal processing and without it purely digital mastering is leaving something to be desired.

Those who suggest that mastering can be performed digitally are right. It is possible to digitally master a piece of music, however I do not believe the most satisfying and euphonic results can be achieved with digital alone.

What does analog add ?

High end analog equipment has electrical energy passing through it, this energy is influenced by the components within, the components cause necessary fluctuations to that energy that are possible to calculate using maths. They also have secondary side effects. The circuits have lots of small traits that end up creating a small but distinguished character. This is very desirable in the world of static, sterile and perfect digital creations.

Not all analog equipment is built to high standards and the best equipment tends to be quite expensive therefore it is convenient to those who cannot invest money into high end analogue equipment to purport that digital is good enough. Well I rest on the side of the vast majority of professional mastering engineers who suggest otherwise. The body of evidence is such that mastering without high quality analogue equipment is a compromise.

Additionally I see using high end analogue equipment as a means of suggestion that I am willing to invest in my clients music and uncompromised end results. I would not feel comfortable with a compromise situation, after all mastering is a responsible task, being the final tweaks that correct and enhance before music is released to the wider world of music lovers.

I have read the quote “The right settings on a plug in will beat the wrong settings on hardware”, that much is true, however given both analog and digital processing the right settings on the right piece of analog hardware when judiciously used will beat the digital counterpart.

 
If digital is good enough why all the analogue emulation plug ins?  

Computer plug in technology is advancing and it is possible to capture some of the sound character of analogue however this still exists within the realms of modeling and DSP so to capture the almost infinite minute interactions in an analogue circuit is impossible. Eventually plug ins will become indistinguishable from hardware though that seems to be quite a long time away at the moment.

 
As a secondary benefit using analogue equipment has a “hands on” approach, it definitely has a tactile feel and sense of practicality about it. Turning some large knobs on a piece of uncompromising equipment produces a real sense of involvement in the process of mastering. Feel should not necessarily affect decision making but does bring a sense of additional control over sound shaping.

Digital has it’s place

Digital tools are ultimately as invaluable as analogue tools, without them it would be difficult to realize certain types of sophisticated processing, and when it comes to precision, digital is able to show it’s capabilities. Digital is often used in problem solving situations where the often broader sound sculpting is less adept.

Summary

A professional mastering studio should incorporate high end analogue equipment within it’s inventory to be able to truly provide an uncompromising service.

Barry Gardner operates SafeandSound music mastering services

Comments

[Angel Gonzales]

In order to come up with a successful result, it would be better to use analog and digital. I thought digital is a better choice in mastering because it is more high end which means it can give better result but i think it is more expensive compared to analog.

[Gail C. Jackson]

So it means, to create a better sound, it is best to use both? Digital is already high end and the latest but as mentioned in this post, to truly provide an uncompromising service, one must also use high end analogue equipment. I thought digital is enough.

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