Analog Vs. Digital

The debate of Analog versus digital has raged since the day the first transistor appeared. I for one have embraced all things digital since the day the first CD player appeared, the Sony CP –101. In fact at one point I had the entire available CD catalog, the Sony “Jazz Sampler” and Billy Joel’s “52nd Street”. The quality of the 52nd street CD was far inferior from an acoustic standpoint however, it was a major advancement in technology over the LP record and the cassette tape. 


As time went along CD’s became eminently more listenable as direct digital recordings became available. Several years after the CD revolution I went retro and purchased a tube stereo system (separate amplifier and pre-amplifier) along with a new turntable. I was amazed how much music I had been "missing" from my beloved digital format. I was even further amazed by how much better the CD format sounded when played through my analog system. 


Enter the MP3 and the lossy format. No one can deny the convenience that is offered by today's MP3 players. I can now "carry" 300 albums on a device that fits in my pocket. Once again, I was able to improve the sound of my MP3 player by playing this new technology through my old analog technology. Even so, I have to admit, that the MP3 player sounded quite good on its own when it was coupled with good headphones. Or so I thought until last nights revelation. 


Last night I downloaded Vivaldi's 4 Seasons conducted by Elmar Oliveira. My previous version of this recording was a damaged digital CD. However, I was intimately familiar with how this CD and piece should sound. The downloaded MP3 was a major disillusionment; the violins were still in the forefront of this wonderful piece but all the subtle layers of this piece were now muddled in the digital morass. Even my trusted analog playback could not rescue this recording. 


It used to be when we made advancements in music playback that the quality of the experience (sound) was an improvement over the older technology. It seems to my ear that this is not the case and they we are only making technological advancements (smaller devices, more storage etc.) without a thought to how it sounds.  My favorite Eels or Cake album can reside in the digital domain with no apparent loss of fidelity. Other albums need to breathe and still sound better in their original form LP and or CD; my ongoing solution is a hybrid environment.     


How does the above relate to document management?  My music story is analogous (sorry) to the changes in the document management world. When considering what medium to use as part of your document management strategy you need to consider the archive requirements as well as the fidelity (my apologies again) requirements. It could be that the best document management strategy ends up being hybrid system. 


DRS is positioned to help you evaluate and deiced what is the best methodology for your important records. Please call today so we can begin our no charge evaluation of your current needs. 

Thanks for reading.

Marc  
Data Reduction Systems 
Vice President, Business Development marcc@drscorp.com 
Office - 908.687.5636 
Expanding the potential. Fulfilling the promise.