Recording audio in an electronic or mechanical format of continuous vibrations that are analogous to the original sound waves. Before audio recording became digital, sounds were "carved" into vinyl records or written to tape as magnetic waveforms. See audio cable
Is Analog Audio Better?
Audiophiles think so. They feel that no matter how many times an analog wave is sampled per second, the musical experience does not compare to an analog recording. In fact, there is a huge variety of vinyl turntables on the market today. However, many enthusiasts believe that the digital SACD format is equal to analog audio or is a very close second (see SACD
). See audiophile
Sound is literally carved into a phonograph record because the groove undulations are analogous to the sound waves they represent.
Analog vs. Digital
The early 78 RPM record (left) contained about four minutes of analog audio per side. The digital compact disc (CD) holds about an hour's worth of music in the CD-DA format or 10 hours of MP3 songs.
Analog Is Widely Appreciated
This ad for the Metronome music player clearly states the goal of digital playback is to be as close to analog as possible. (Image courtesy of Technology Metronomy, www.metronome.audio)