Analog or Digital?

[VintageToneGuy]

Today is my day to post my "Dumb Question of the Week"? It has to do with Analog vs. Digital. Let's go to the 'Bottom Line' first: I know what my ears prefer and that's the analog signal. It just has all the characteristics and qualities I am looking for in my tone. The question comes up about not which is better; but what's in the analog effects pedal (or what's not there) that makes that difference?

Now to my 'dumb question". Is my EH Holy Grail Reverb pedal Digital or analog? The reason I ask is that virtually all the reverb pedals I have looked at say 'digital' somewhere in the name (ie, DD-3, DD-6, etc...) This EH Holy Grail sounds so good; I don't know how I got along without it!

So, what might be the 'rule of thumb' when looking at pedals that would inform the 'layman' as to whether it's digital or analog?

Thanks Alot!
~`-vTg-`~

[goldie-gold]

I can answer one bit of your question. The Holy Grail is digital.

[Lolaviola]

Unless you're talking springs in a tank, Analog reverb sounds like sh#t and they gave up on it in like 1968!

[StompBoxBlues]

Not completely sure of what you are asking but...it can be confusing to think about.

The main thing is, analog is working from a continuous signal from the guitar. By that I mean, (forgetting about things like ramp time, slew rate..which has to do with how fast an electronic component can react..and is pretty much negligible) looking at a waveform the analog is reacting at any given time to the signal that is there, as it is.
Analog works on the signal when it is 400mv peak to peak, and when it is 50mv peak to peak.

Digital, takes analog as input, digitizes it (using an analog-digital converter) which slices it up and (even though in the real world, at the micro level, there also is ramp time, slew rate, etc.) "quantifies" it into manageably "bits" that can be copied (echo), or manipulated...but in quanta. Basically bits are either on or off...no in between. At the output side, it then passes again through a digital-analog converter to get it back to "normal" sounds.

A bad description, but still works.

[Jarick]

Dunno how the pedals work but my favorites for delay and reverb are digital "wet" effects mixed with the original analog "dry" but done in analog. So the only "digital" part is the computation that made the delay or reverb. But the level, eq, all of that is analog.

Make sense? I think that's how the Boss pedals and the Holy Grail do it...but others like the Line 6 are totally digital and a lot of people don't like what it does to the tone.

[g3rmanium]

The question comes up about not which is better; but what's in the analog effects pedal (or what's not there) that makes that difference?

Delay. Not sure if you can hear a couple of ms, but probably you can.

[nashvillesteve]

Analog has those rubber bands and wooden gears inside, it makes all the difference.

[VintageToneGuy]

Thanks for the clarifications. So, there are no analog reverb pedals; right?

[fatback]

nope, here's one:

http://www.vanamps.com/Sole-Mate.JPG
http://www.vanamps.com/sole-mate.html

[Jackaroe]

Thanks for posting this unit. :AOK How does it sound, what do you use it with/for? (Don't say "I use it for reverb dummy") What I mean is, do you just use it to give reverb to a non-rev amp or is it a stand alone effect on your board for soloing etc.

[onetubetone]

That thingy in the picture is a spring reverb. Technically analog, but not quite in the same way we're talking about =)