Probably just Jack White.

 

There's something to be said for forcing yourself into simplicity. I've seriously considered a couple times trying to make a recording with the PortaStudio, one mic, an out of tune piano, a Magnus chord organ, a 12-string guitar with four strings missing and like, a jank drum kit I bought at the Goodwill.
But then I think about how that resulting project is actually going to sound
Might still try it.

 

forgive me if it's already been asked, define "working completely analogue."

Recording-wise, absolutely not, and don't know anyone that isn't digital in some way.

As a singer, musician, and most importantly a songwriter, still 100% analogue.

 

Last edited: Sep 8, 2023

I share your sentiment. Having expensive analog outboard never hurts, but there has been way too much snobbery surrounding it, especially on GS.

On the other hand, it's amazing how far one can go with analog tape using only console EQ, the way most records were done up to the early '90s. It doesn't have to be a very expensive console either. No harsh digital upper mids/highs to begin with.

 

Neat place, but it aint no Electrical Audio.

 

With maybe 4mb of RAM and a 40 meg of hard drive with no sound card or software to capture audio it would have been no contest...a slam dunk for the Portastudio.

 

You are WRONG 100%.
Compressors do have their own sound. Ever heard of analog saturation? Different compressor types, FET, VCA, tube, FET, optical,and PWM, different sound.
EQ's, with some exceptions, do have their own sound. Ever head of Neve EQ sound , Pultec EQ sound? Why the difference? Mainly the analog input and output stages, circuit design, components. Something like a different oh amp will have an impact on the sound.
Recording consoles have their own sound. Pre amps have their own sound. And we can go on and on. Indeed, we have developers of "premiun" vsts making a fortune out of modeling such analog equipment. One of them Acustica Audio.
The above, also answers your question as to

It is all in the sound! As much as developers of vst want to sell us their proprietary codes wrapped up in some fancy GUI claiming that they are a 100% emulation of some analog piece of hardware, there is a "pleasant" difference in the sound favoring a hardware compressor or eq over its plugin counterpart. As a matter of fact, if you were to ask me what are the advantages of vst over hardware, I will NEVER mention the sound. In my opinion, the biggest advantages are cost, portability, and recall ( but we are seeing more and more hardware being designed with digital recall) Again, never in the sound. This sound advantage gap is even bigger with higher end hardware.
As another member wisely mentioned:

 

The 386 we got in 1992 only had 2MB, we couldn't play Doom when it came out. It was the dark times..

 

Those kinds of differences are pretty distinguished from someone using a bad (perhaps just derelict professional) tape recorder to bring "colour" into a digital recording, that's what I don't really see the point of

 

I meant recording-wise, guess i was a bit vague lol

 

Look at any of the Lo-Fi plugins such as RC-20. Or Waves NLS non-Linear summing. u-he Satin or Kramer Tape. Fabfilter Saturn or Decapitator.

All of this stuff, is some way of making "perfect" digital recordings have flaws or some character of analog. They are for ITB convenience to make something a little unique. Why do people like 12 bit samplers? Why does MJK of Tool still use a screwed up megaphone as a live vocal effect? lol. People buy and use old "junk" all the time.

 

Reality looks absolutely nothing like film. But we love the look of film. In fact, most people HATE the look of super high frame rate video precisely because "it looks like video" and not film; it's too realistic. The look of film isn't a quality issue, we just got used to it.
"Analog warmth" is like that.
And to further torture an analogy, Wes Anderson might love his films to look like warm old Technicolor but no one wants a sports broadcast to look like that. There, the HFR hyper realistic approach wins.
It just all depends.

 

It's all about the AD to DA for everybody I've ever met. Maybe all the hipsters w/ a boner for analog should be pressing their own wax too. There's a reason everything went digital.

 

Conversely, there IS a reason why a lot of digital emulates analog.

 

I was replying to what you said. You stated as follows:

You can have your opinion as to not thinking that pro analog equipment is supposed to colour the sound but based on what analog equipment does in the audio chain, I still maintain that your assessment is incorrect. Moreover, it does not even have to be pro analog. Even consumer level analog equipment will color the sound, and so will cheap Chinese made analog equipment. Ever heard of Lo-Fi music? So, there is a point. If you fail to see it, that is a complete different story.

 

Is anyone still working completely anal?

 

I know that @No Avenger is. Why do i know? Because he loves to insert his air compressor in my anal master bus every other night while @Xupito films for his upcoming tutorial series on analog to digital perversion.

 

During certain times of the month.
Or with certain types of "women"...

 

what's kindof funny to me is that my journey into recording (which has been much shorter than most of you guys by what im gathering at only ab 5 years) has been kindof the opposite of alot of you. seems many went from mostly, if not all analog to mostly itb. i started out completely itb and after ab 2 yrs decided i had to experience analog in some fashion. what made me buy my first piece of gear was that i had finally gotten my first decent vocal mic (neumann tlm 103) and convinced myself shortly after that i HAD to get a decent preamp otherwise the neumann's potential is just completely wasted.. i saved my pennies for awhile longer and got my ua 710 twinfinity and from there have picked up a few more pieces of outboard gear.

it was funny to me how they almost seemed like the way you view celebrities or something in a way. i had been using these emulations of these pieces of gear in plugin form for a few years nearly everyday before ever even seeing my first piece of analog gear in person and they almost had this mythical gravitas surrounding them in my head lol. then when the first piece arrived from sweetwater i remember just being in awe of the thing that i felt so familiar with on my screen (that i thought i would never own btw) was actually a recreation of something that exists and not the other way around. and now it was mine! and i had to figure out how to use it lol..

this is the extent of my collection and it'll probably stay that way. a few dependable things that i can get alot of use out of.

 

I have a prediction. Your collection will grow. Good thing is that you have acquired pieces that are very nice. Majority of people that jump on the analog wagon buy items that are not high quality, and when realize it they sell it at heavy loss. I learned that the hard way in the early 80s. Better to save up until you can afford top of the line hardware, than buying cheap made gear that wont last and will not sound as good as it better quality counterparts. Just like you said:

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One thing I noticed in your photograph is the lack of ventilation in your rack. Leaving at least half a space between rack mounted gear WILL extend their life. Those tube units will overheat, and that can cause components to fail. My rule is to always leave at least half a space whenever there is a heat vent on the top or bottom of a unit.