How do analogue signals differ from digital in sound transmission?

Analogue signals transmit sound as continuous waves, while digital signals transmit sound as binary data.

Analogue signals are a representation of sound that is a direct copy of the original source. They are continuous waves that can have any value within a given range. This means that they can represent the subtle nuances of sound very accurately. However, they are also susceptible to degradation from noise, distortion, and loss of quality during transmission and conversion.

On the other hand, digital signals represent sound as binary data - a series of 0s and 1s. The sound is sampled at regular intervals and each sample is turned into a binary number. This process is known as digitisation. The advantage of digital signals is that they can be reproduced exactly, without the degradation that can occur with analogue signals. They are also easier to store and transmit, and are less susceptible to noise and distortion.

However, digital signals do have their drawbacks. The process of digitisation can lead to a loss of some of the subtleties of the original sound, especially if the sampling rate is not high enough. This is known as quantisation error. Also, digital signals require more bandwidth than analogue signals to transmit the same amount of information.

In summary, while analogue signals can represent the subtleties of sound very accurately, they are susceptible to degradation and loss of quality. Digital signals, on the other hand, can be reproduced exactly and are less susceptible to noise and distortion, but can lose some of the subtleties of the original sound due to the process of digitisation.