Digital vs. Analog in Recording and A Recent Digital Event

A way in which digital vs. analog has not been discussed yet is the difference betweeen digital recording and analog recording.  Analog recording is used in older mediums like cassette tapes and records. A key aspect of analog recording is that a physical property of the medium (like the groove on a record) is directly  related ( or analogous) to the properties (amplitude, frequency, etc.) to the original sound.An analog recording is related to the air pressure of the original sound. An analog signal is continuous in time.

 A digital recording is made by converting the properties of sound into a sequence of numbers. Usually the sound is transduced into an analog signal and then digitized using a converter. A digital signal is discrete in time.

On another note, I would like to talk about a recent event that involved digital vs. analog. This year the United States made the switch to digital cable, meaning only digital signals will be sent. This directly affected many people who did not have digital signals,  like digital cable. The government made available digital converter boxes for the switch. This is one example of how we are increasingly moving away from analog and embracing digital technology in media.