T-Bone Burnett said, perhaps somewhat tongue in cheek, says that the digital audio we use now is a direct result of a bunch of stoned Dead-Heads in silicon valley who wanted a more convenient way to share their concert tapes, and that working musician/artists should go out with pichforks and torches and destroy the place. T-Bone now has his own company, in affiliation with Capitol records, called Electro-Magnetic Recordings. If you want to hire him to produce your album, it's going to cost you a quarter million US. The man must know something. If you were working in some formats a few years ago (ADAT, older Pro-Tools, for example)-it is very difficult to access your work now. (I have some ADAT masters of some of my older things). Put an old 2 inch tape or half inch master in the oven for a while, pop it on the Ampex or Studer, and except for good old tape hiss and dealing with noise thresholds, that stuff from 30 years ago still works. I have worked in studios through the whole evolution of digital. It is the old adage of comparing apples to oranges, they are just different. I like the tech that puts a whole room full of simulated studio gear in my living room. But I miss the pressure of track management, the "time is money" discipline, pacing the control room floor throwing ideas around with engineers and musicians. On the other hand, now, if I want to spend all day creating a triangle part, I have that luxury. It amazes me that such a large percentage of plug-ins are things to make digital recordings sound more like analog. I just try to fight my battles with the weapons available to me at the time.

 

Dear 'Algae' ,
(If I read you Properly .....)

Did you say you had some ADAT Tapes , that you needed to convert over to PC
and Dumped trk xby trk into Samplitude or whatever ??

If so , I still use / own , #4 Sony PCM-800's , with the Big Remote.
So , hit me with a PM , I'll see if I can give ya a helping hand in some way or another.

Also ... really , even when I had two Digital 16 Trk Fostex Reel to Reelz,
operating with up to 96 ips ; on 1/2" inch tape .... Ahhhhhh .... They sounded
Ooohhhh , so SWEET !!!!

I just loved 'em , and the headroom they had ; '(especially for 1/2" tape)' ;
"W 0 W ! ! ! !" ....
" And dat Aint no 'flutter' needer!! "

Sorry for the phun .... couldnt help meself !

​

 

Thanks for the offer, greatly appreciated, but I can get access to a DAT player if I really need to. Just repeating T-Bone's point about how the constant change in formats makes some things difficult. I never saw a machine do 96ips. Must be impressive, but I used to hate trying to come up with cash for enough virgin tape at 30 ips. Last time I was in the studio, we were working with students, so I got the Engineer/instructor to blow the cobwebs out of the 1/2 inch Ampex mastering machine. It was a joy to see their faces when that thing started whirling around from location to location. Like watching a Ferrari. A precision engineered piece of machinery in action is always impressive. I don't think they got to do an A/B audio comparison, though.

 

Ah yes sir , dear 'Algae' ......
no A/B comparision's needed , thats for DAMn'd sure.
And yes , you should hear a REEL machine at 96ips / (Even a few of the MCI 24-track/2" tape machines),
I got to werk with , 'while I paid my dues in Nashville' ; you wont believe !!!
These Machines ran up to and between '96 to 128 ips' !!! 'It was like watchin them roll in super fast-forward,
while at playback/record speeds ! ! ! "And talk about 'CLEEEEAAANNN' !! ...... my-0-my !!"

The best time I ever had with reel tape machines , and I fondly state this too ....
Was aloooong time ago , in Cleveland , I got to werk as an assist in Joe Walsh's
'Natica Studio's' !!! "I learned soooooo much there about split 'I-T' - bays /(x 178 patch points!!)
And let alone ; four different rooms , all filled with GOLD mines of wonderful mixing desk's!!

on & on ; I could ramble .... because my TRUEST love / Bestest time ; was taking a 3-week course
in 'Dental sibilance' ; ('The Technic and 'PROPER' microphones to use for vocalist's!!!')
It was all well worth the cash I paid for the short three weeks , just to be able to listen
to 'Derek Varnals' ; "The main engineer for the Moody Blues" !!!

.... Ive had nothing but a total and complete love affair , with microphones , ever since then !!

P3ACE 2 Ya'z my friend ,
''Its an honor to meet another fellow engineer !!''

0:1 / 0on3

 

Wouldn't call myself an engineer. Just a musician with underfunded audiophile disease, an appreciation for what good engineers do, and some experience on both sides of the glass over time. Not much interested in nostalgia ot turning back the unstoppable either, but well maintained vintage gear is fun. I like having racks and racks of simulated gear in my living room computer studio, but sometimes I want to show people a computer can fly from a second story window, depending on the arc, just a little longer than the acceleration of gravity, and get a tape machine. My favorite plug in? A virtual Pultec in the Jack Joseph Puig stuff. Works and sounds like the real ones I used, and it also adds an almost analog warmth. Even has a few simulated dings and scratches. I have a bass player friend who may have done some sessions at that studio with Joe Vitale, back in those days.

 

'Algae' , if ya EVER , .... ever get the chance ; twist the knobz and 'fondle'
one the these sweet stereo Avalon Tube Compressors !!!
You'll be so in love with this comp !!! ('Least I am anyway!) And I also love some of
these vst Nomad Comp's , and Eq'z .... 'holy mudda 'be-geezerz !!'

But I do tell ya , once ya put yer hands on a Drawmer tube Comp , or Avalon , ect ;
You'll be amazed man !!!!

Ive got the Avalon , but ; Ive also got a Stereo 'Drawmer S2' Tube comp,
which will just take yer breath away !!!!!!!
(And it'll hurt yer wallet pretty hard too , but I dont regret it EVER !!!)



Also got #2 - DBX 1066 Comp/limiters ; 'That I just adore as well'!!
.... (Cheap '$$$' , dont alwayz mean bad!) ....

p3ACE broth'a !!



0:1 / 0on3​

 

Went to a show this summer. Was chatting with audio eng. between acts. He had a new Yamaha board and an Avalon was just sitting there. I started drooling and asked him about it. He said it belonged to the headliner, Ruben Blades, and it only got used on his vocals. Ruben must be pretty smart. I had gear envy.

 

All I have to say is that all speakers are analog and so are my ears...