I miss working OTB!

[andychamp]

Last night I listened to an EP that I recorded and mixed some 8-plus years ago. It was done with a Fostex B16 and a Mackie 8-bus.
The only pieces of high-end equipment used were a pair of Quested 2108s and a Gefell UMT70s. Plus the usual assortment of 57s, D112, etc..
Nowadays it's Cubase4, great preamps, compressors and mics, better musicians to work with and 8 years wiser, no more booze or pot.

The sad fact is: that EP sounds better than anything (with 1 exception) that I've done since going digital/ITB about 6 years ago.
Punch, depth & width: it's all there. Round and bouncy.

While I still love recording and have learned to appreciate and hear what an API/Great River/whatever can do for your sound, it's the mixing part that kills me.
Even the best hardware interface can't replace the interaction and immediacy (is that a real word?) you get from just turning pots or pushing faders, with 2 or more hands, until it just sound right.

So last night I decided that I had to get a decent analog desk (dreaming of the API 1608).
And hopefully, by the time I can afford that, there will again be some good tape recorders on the market (or some worthy digital equivalent).

I just had to get that off me.

Comments welcome.

[Sigma]

Originally Posted by andychamp

Last night I listened to an EP that I recorded and mixed some 8-plus years ago. It was done with a Fostex B16 and a Mackie 8-bus.
The only pieces of high-end equipment used were a pair of Quested 2108s and a Gefell UMT70s. Plus the usual assortment of 57s, D112, etc..
Nowadays it's Cubase4, great preamps, compressors and mics, better musicians to work with and 8 years wiser, no more booze or pot.

The sad fact is: that EP sounds better than anything (with 1 exception) that I've done since going digital/ITB about 6 years ago.
Punch, depth & width: it's all there. Round and bouncy.

While I still love recording and have learned to appreciate and hear what an API/Great River/whatever can do for your sound, it's the mixing part that kills me.
Even the best hardware interface can't replace the interaction and immediacy (is that a real word?) you get from just turning pots or pushing faders, with 2 or more hands, until it just sound right.

So last night I decided that I had to get a decent analog desk (dreaming of the API 1608).
And hopefully, by the time I can afford that, there will again be some good tape recorders on the market (or some worthy digital equivalent).

I just had to get that off me.

Comments welcome.

it's your interface with the gear..not the gear..unlearn and relearn..i'm 51 and embrace current tech changes [as did my successful predessessors when dealing with issues resulting from the change from tubes and point to point wiring to circuit boards and ic's] i have been witness to both profound changes and spent 30 years OTB and will never go back

ADAPT OR BECOME EXTINCT

[Teo Macero]

Originally Posted by andychamp

Last night I listened to an EP that I recorded and mixed some 8-plus years ago. It was done with a Fostex B16 and a Mackie 8-bus.
The only pieces of high-end equipment used were a pair of Quested 2108s and a Gefell UMT70s. Plus the usual assortment of 57s, D112, etc..
Nowadays it's Cubase4, great preamps, compressors and mics, better musicians to work with and 8 years wiser, no more booze or pot.

The sad fact is: that EP sounds better than anything (with 1 exception) that I've done since going digital/ITB about 6 years ago.
Punch, depth & width: it's all there. Round and bouncy.

While I still love recording and have learned to appreciate and hear what an API/Great River/whatever can do for your sound, it's the mixing part that kills me.
Even the best hardware interface can't replace the interaction and immediacy (is that a real word?) you get from just turning pots or pushing faders, with 2 or more hands, until it just sound right.

So last night I decided that I had to get a decent analog desk (dreaming of the API 1608).
And hopefully, by the time I can afford that, there will again be some good tape recorders on the market (or some worthy digital equivalent).

I just had to get that off me.

Comments welcome.

I doubt it has to do with OTB vs ITB...Sounds to me like you're driving yourself to believe that it is and so your looking for anything to support that theory.

Originally Posted by andychamp

Punch, depth & width: it's all there. Round and bouncy.

This can be achieved ITB, no problem...

[Mr.HOLMES]

This can be achieved ITB, no problem...

+1

maybe working with a desk is a different workflow but not a totally different sound as some people want to make us believe.

I had to made the experience that my mixing is not better on a big console, and that it has to do with my skills and not so much with OTB or ITB mixing.

Or how can you explain that everyday punchie ITB mixies come out of your radio.
It is what you make out of it.

[Capstan Cappy]

Originally Posted by Mr.HOLMES

+1

maybe working with a desk is a different workflow but not a totally different sound as some people want to make us believe.

Or how can you explain that everyday punchie ITB mixies come out of your radio.
It is what you make out of it.

its definatly a different workflow and very personal if you like it or not but it does sound totally different , if people cant hear the difference something is wrong , you cant miss it

dont confuse punchy with overcomression on radio stations, they are the worst factor in reproducing music over the airwaves

[studjo]

aw just come over for a day and see if the desk helps you

Jo

btw I think it does

[Mike Brown]

Dude, if you love this job as much as I hope you do you should do ANYTHING short of committing a federal offense to give yourself the tools/confidence to create/craft the songs to the very best of your abilities.

Go buy a desk and rock out with your cock out!

[Kronos147]

Originally Posted by andychamp

...no more booze or pot.

There is the problem!

Just kidding.

I went from ITB to OTB about 10 days ago. No turning back now m8!