ANALOG RECORDING VERSES DIGITAL RECORDING

[JEFF GOSSARD]

Just wanted to take a little survey of what percentage of peoples recordings are being done on digital verses analog in your commerical studios or private studios that rent time out.

I will have both in my new studio but i am still tweaked about 2" tape costs. sign of the times i guess but i'am still going down with the ship.

thanks

also has anyone used the new ATR tape and what do think of it, it sounds really good on paper?

[GearHunter]

it sounds really good on paper?

Actually, I think the tape is made of mylar. Paper wouldn't hold up to fast-wind!

Sorry...couldn't resist.

Still using tape for basix and mix-down.

[bobwarren]

Moving towards tracking to analog tape, dumping to DAW at 192khz for storage and editing, playback again at 192 to mixdown through analog console to 1/2" tape. Mastering to vinyl. I want to step off a time machine, man. Prolly go out of business in a month because I'm also refusing autotune and BFD and POD and mic modelers, and UAD, and Waves, and on, and on.

[Mr. Tom]

ALL ANALOG!!!

2" 16 track for tracking + 1/4" for mixdown (and slapback/tapedelay/loops etc.)

Peace,
T.

[Drumsound]

I use tape for larger projects, tracking and mixing. Digital for smaller things, demos and such. These are general statements though. I mostly buy used 2" tape and only have had a few problems.

[bcgood]

I track to tape and sometimes straight to digital. I always mix down to tape.

[GYang]

Funny, but after being hard core digital guy for more than 10 years, I'm irreversebly heading toward analogue tape recording and OTB mixing.
Not that it's better for any reason.
It's for fun

[stevep]

Originally Posted by bobwarren

Prolly go out of business in a month because I'm also refusing autotune and BFD and POD and mic modelers, and UAD, and Waves, and on, and on.

No, you wont close in a month,.. you will attract people who dont need tuning or quantizing

Im the same way, i dont even use plugins, well,, not very often

[stevep]

Just wanted to take a little survey of what percentage of peoples recordings are being done on digital verses analog in your commerical studios or private studios that rent time out.

Commercial room,
90% of all the sessions i track to tape and have for over 25 years


2 Studer 820s with Dolby SR, Locked up for 48 analog tracks

(looking for a 16tk head stack)

Pro Tools with 40 outputs Apogee 16X and 24 Apogee inputs

The Ptools rig is Synced to the Studers

and it looks like Patrox is bringing in a ATR 102 1/2" 2 track for mixdown

Sweet ! 100% pure analog





.

[raal]

Originally Posted by GYang

Funny, but after being hard core digital guy for more than 10 years, I'm irreversebly heading toward analogue tape recording and OTB mixing.
Not that it's better for any reason.
It's for fun

best reason i've heard in a long time.

Originally Posted by stevep

The Ptools rig is Synced to the Studers.

i was just thinking about that today... say you're tracking and you want to punch a chorus. how do you deal with PT and tape going at once?

the 827s that just went for $4K got me pondering... dang it.

for this poll i've recorded to digital w/outboard since around '90. those AKAI adams sounded pretty good!

[stevep]

Originally Posted by raal

i was just thinking about that today... say you're tracking and you want to punch a chorus. how do you deal with PT and tape going at once?

When im tracking i usually fill up the Studer first,..(it will be harder now with two machines locked) then start adding tracks in PT, i sometimes create a stereo mix to PT for a guide track. so the tapes not rolling all the time

then lock back up to mix

im not punching in with both tape and PT at the same time
it could be done, but i haven't came across that situation yet

did that answer your question? i might have been a bit lost


.

[harry_seldon]

My two cents. I don't find a character or quality chasm between digital over analog, or visa versa. My issues arises in the "perfecting" tools that get overused in the digital domain which destroy the vibe, feel, groove, or life of digitally recorded tracks. Many people get carried away in trying to perfect their performances in the digital realm and that tends emphasize the difference of analog over digital for me, especially when capturing great performances. Why do these performances need to be made more great? Why does those warbles need to be fixed. Why does that keyboard performance have to have that note nudged just a bit, etc. You add all these tweaks together, and you get machine perfect performance, but not life. That is what characterizes the essence of this debate for me.

[themaidsroom]

pro tools sounds like pro tools to me here in nyc through the finest converters
in the world through vintage neves - it's digital - i can hear it in the first
bar - to me its distracting - i don't want to hear it

the sound of a mouse click is extremely annoying - it is also annoying to hear
countless records that could have been timeless had they been tracked
to tape - a year later, that $1500 doesn't seem like so much money
engineers that don't hear it make me a bit nervous

here, we are 1 A827 with the 2nd A827 on the way - 2" 24/2" 16 /2" 8/ - mix and
match - one otari mtr-12 and an atr-102 w/ 1/2" and 1" on the way

i have not made one digital record in 07 - some people have rented my spot
and used my HD rig, and i am glad it is here - the synch i/o works great for
locking - i love locking the 2" 8 for vocals - people literally run in the control
room after the the first pass unable to believe what they have heard -
if they have spent a month in digital and hear their voice coming back
through 2" 8, it is really smooth, deep and sweet, fortunately much
of that sound can be packed back into their firewire drive before
they go home.

i believe in tape records, though, not re-using tape, i think the process of
building a record on tape helps people perform, and make choices

i am definitely moving to 1" masters that are 100% analog pressed to heavy
vinyl - getting that right will make all digital mediums shine


be well

- jack

[jonboyrock]

I'm tracking everything bar vocals to an Otari MTR90 II, then dumping to tools. Works for me. I don't want to track drums/bass/guitars straight to tools ever again... and haven't for a while now.

[raal]

Originally Posted by stevep

im not punching in with both tape and PT at the same time
it could be done, but i haven't came across that situation yet

did that answer your question? i might have been a bit lost


.

was wondering about punches specifically.

is it practical to punch on both simultaneously, recording what's coming from tape machine to a slaved PT rig while monitoring from PT (delay issues), or best to use tape independent of PT, do your punching there, and dump when you're done? it's been awhile since i've used tape. thanks.

[stevep]

Originally Posted by raal

was wondering about punches specifically.

is it practical to punch on both simultaneously, recording what's coming from tape machine to a slaved PT rig while monitoring from PT (delay issues), or best to use tape independent of PT, do your punching there, and dump when you're done? it's been awhile since i've used tape. thanks.

yea, i wouldn't punch on both machines at the same time

and all the monitoring is to individual faders on the console

When the music hits tape it stays there through the whole project and any punches are done on the studer so i hardly ever dump to PT

If its a rental reel i will dump all the analog tracks to PT for the client to archive

I really try to encourage them to buy there own reels, because like someone said here before,... tape will outlast a us and even our kids kids



.

[fuddfar]

We're normalled to Pro Tools in. All I have to do is play a client digital drums vs. analog and I have the gig locked up. Drummers just walk away laughing when they hear how much better the analog drums sound. I just align the tracks in PT later. You can use the reel many times and I charge a minimal tape useage fee

[Slipperman]

2" is still KING for rock recording.

Guitars, vocals and drums BURY any "direct to digital rig" I've ever heard.

"Downstream" sonics in mix are night and day.

EVERYTHING twists faster, easier and just plain SOUNDS BETTER.

Third time around on this "digital hath arrived" merry-go-round.

Bottom line hasn't changed from a sonics perspective.

The Emperor is still buck nekkid from where I'm standing.

Go figure.



SM.

[themaidsroom]

2" is king for all music

[stevep]

Originally Posted by themaidsroom

- the synch i/o works great for
locking -

Jack, do you use the 2" as the master and have PT chase the tape ?

Just feeding SMPTE to the Sync I/O ?


peace,

steve

.

[goatsound]

Originally Posted by jonboyrock

I'm tracking everything bar vocals to an Otari MTR90 II, then dumping to tools. Works for me. I don't want to track drums/bass/guitars straight to tools ever again... and haven't for a while now.

this is exactly what im doing when i want something good.
if im doing a cheap demo on a portable rig then its a simple pro tools job, but if its a releasable product that im putting my name on i try to insist they use tape.
it makes a very big difference.

[bcgood]

Originally Posted by themaidsroom

pro tools sounds like pro tools to me here in nyc through the finest converters
in the world through vintage neves - it's digital - i can hear it in the first
bar - to me its distracting - i don't want to hear it

the sound of a mouse click is extremely annoying - it is also annoying to hear
countless records that could have been timeless had they been tracked
to tape - a year later, that $1500 doesn't seem like so much money
engineers that don't hear it make me a bit nervous

here, we are 1 A827 with the 2nd A827 on the way - 2" 24/2" 16 /2" 8/ - mix and
match - one otari mtr-12 and an atr-102 w/ 1/2" and 1" on the way

i have not made one digital record in 07 - some people have rented my spot
and used my HD rig, and i am glad it is here - the synch i/o works great for
locking - i love locking the 2" 8 for vocals - people literally run in the control
room after the the first pass unable to believe what they have heard -
if they have spent a month in digital and hear their voice coming back
through 2" 8, it is really smooth, deep and sweet, fortunately much
of that sound can be packed back into their firewire drive before
they go home.

i believe in tape records, though, not re-using tape, i think the process of
building a record on tape helps people perform, and make choices

i am definitely moving to 1" masters that are 100% analog pressed to heavy
vinyl - getting that right will make all digital mediums shine


be well

- jack

I think your right!

[BLP]

I try to track rock or pop/hip hop basic tracks to 2" when budget allows (which, with my rock/pop clients, seems all too rare). I dig the big rock 'n roll sound I can get hitting tape with everything the kick drum can muster. For jazz and classical I forego tape in favor of PT.