Are DAWS analog audio production inside of a computer?

[Jermainne]

If I go to school to learn analog audio production would it be easy to learn digital audio production? I am assuming there is a difference, I don't know.

 

[KonKossKang]

Daw is an acronym for digital audio workstation. Digital and analogue are not the same thing, but some features are quite similar and such design philosophies carry over as well. But in general, hardware is hardware and digital is digital.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_audio_workstation

https://www.gearslutz.com/board/ele...re-synthesizers-vs-software-synthesizers.html

If you are still going to do an actual course on that, while not a bad thing but it'd be wise to read the links below for a headstart.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_design

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_synthesizer

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthesizer

 

[ponkapog]

A DAW, as the name implies, is strictly digital, but emulates much of the functionality of a traditional analog console. Think of it this way - in a traditional analog studio, there are engineers/mixers who take care of all the technical stuff (tracking, mic placement, eq, compressors, etc) and there are live musicians. Producing with a DAW (ITB, or in the box), most likely all your sounds will come from virtual instruments, drum synths, and the like - and your effects will most likely be digital, so you are both the engineer and the musician.

Obviously, this leads to differences - a DAW will usually have an "arrange" window, where you can compose with midi and manipulate audio tracks. From there, you have a mixer view, which roughly corresponds to a traditional analog console, with sends, effects, and all the usual stuff, but it all happens digitally.

None of this is an absolute - digital has it's place in analog studios, and analog is often used to supplement ITB mixing. If you're not tracking live musicians, though, ITB is probably where you will spend most of your time.

 

[krushing]

Producing with a DAW (ITB, or in the box), most likely all your sounds will come from virtual instruments, drum synths, and the like - and your effects will most likely be digital, so you are both the engineer and the musician.

I'm going to respectfully disagree with this statement, in the sense that most productions these days - whether or not the instruments and performers are virtual - are done in DAWs. Just because the recording environment is digital doesn't mean anything else has to be. In certain genres, the "most likely" part will probably be true, but I wouldn't use it as an umbrella statement for all music.