Analog Recording People

[lyle_from_minneapolis]

Are there many of you out there who, like me, still record on this long stringy stuff called "tape"?

I would love to hear about what you use and why you still do--is it by preference or out of financial necessity?

Also, I'm interested to know how you digitize your songs. Do you mix down in analog then transfer the final mix to digital? Or do some of you record in analog and transfer the tracks to computer for a digital software mixdown?

I recently acquired Cubase SX but have no interface yet, other than an RCA to miniplug cord. The trouble with me is using a computer and laying down a good music track demands two completely opposite sides of my brain. I'd like to mix down on a computer, but I don't even want to see one while I'm in musicmaking mode... Can anyone else relate?

I know I'm all over the map here, but was hoping this was worth a thread.

Thanks!

-Lyle

[tony_carey]

Mark, there are many that still use analogue tape & swear by it. However, I am of the opinion that digital recording is now of the standard that it will render what you put in to it (unlike plug ins!), so top quality outboard, valve guitar amps & quality mics have a massive part to play in the modern recording technique & sound. IMO, you have to take extra care on sound & technique at the fundamental level of tracking, which in turn is actually a learning curve that takes you back to the very basics of sound recording.

[jps]

I prefer tape, I don't know where to put the razor blade when editing with digital.

[soundmasterg]

I prefer to use multitrack tape for drums and bass, and then run it into digital. Sometimes I might go back to 2 track tape to do a final mix, but overall, I think both are needed.

[lyle_from_minneapolis]

Yes, Tony, I agree about the care that needs to go into the fundamental level of tracking. This has always been true of recording. My only gripe about computer-based digital recording is that the keyboard and the mouse are anathema to "The Zone" of musical performance. I suppose The Board of the old days could be described in the same way, but somehow I have always had an easy time performing and simultaneously working a tape machine...but the mindset I get in on a computer---like right now---is more cerebral and less visceral. Typing this message on my PC is similar to being in mixdown/production mode, same mindset. But laying down an inspired track is more like running, or dancing, or singing in the car.

As for analog vs. digital sound, people say there is a "warmth" you get from analog that is lost in digital. I don't really agree at this point, in 2006. I would like to be rid of tape hiss, for example, and further believe that a warm sound can be achieved in either medium. I suppose I should just acquire a good outboard device and stop yammering about all this, but that's what forums are for!

Hey Greg, why just drum and bass on tape? Is it for the sound quality or for some other reason?

Jeffrey, when recording with digital, just put the razor down.

[jps]

Okay!

[soundmasterg]

Mark, tape seems to give you a much nicer bass response than digital, at least to my ears, but while there does seem to be a difference for upper frequency stuff like vocals and guitar, it doesn't seem to be as large of a difference between the two formats as what the bass frequencies are. Some people don't hear it, but if you record to both formats simultaneously, and have the levels set correctly to where you get the most headroom without too much distortion for your ears, then tape will have a sweet spot where you can overload the level a bit and get a compression effect which makes it sound louder. You often get more useable headroom from tape than digital. So I do basic drum and bass tracks, with a scratch track of other stuff....maybe a scratch guitar or vocal part, and then bounce it into the computer for the rest.

Part of that though was the limitation of the equipment I was using. When you're using a 1 inch 8 track machine, theres not a whole lot of tracks to play with. I've got a 24 track 2 inch machine coming that I got recently. Once I get that dialed in and functioning correctly, then I may stay in the analogue domain longer.

I was reading recently about a trick to use with analogue tape. If you decide to always use the kick drum for track one, you can set the bias to get the best bass response for that track only, and set the bias normally on the other tracks. Not all tape machines allow the flexibility of this though.

[just_bassics]

I record and master digitally, but cannot sell a tape recorder to save my life, so I still have three 1/4" decks including a Fostex M80 from 1987. One trick I like to do is send my digital master mixes back to analog to get that nice tape compression, then back to CD. Technically, I'n not certain that anything is gained, but it just feels like a good way to warm up a mix. Perhaps because I grew up mixing on analog machines.

[soundmasterg]

If the tape heads were the correct distances apart from each other on the various machines you have, and if the speeds are correct, then you go emulate the ADT effect the Beatles used at EMI. Because of the nature of tape machines and how they don't quite run at a steady speed all the time and have wow and flutter, its a much more interesting sound doing the ADT on tape than trying to emulate it digitally. The details on how to do it are in the "Recording the Beatles" book.

[just_bassics]

If you mean tape delay effects as opposed to digital delays, I could not agree more... There is nothing like true analog tape delay on a three head machine. Reel flanging is also a lost art, better practised on tape machines and done by hand. Digital is wonderful and I give it all it is due, but there are analog tricks that still reign supreme.

What are some of your favorites, anyone?

[lyle_from_minneapolis]

I can do some great things with my old analog Boss DM-3 delay pedal. But I agree, tape machine effects are the bomb.

[rollingricker21]

Digital recording is definitely a huge learning curve, especially when using powerful programs such as Cubase.

Though I can recommend simpler and easier to use programs such as Audacity and Acid music.

I recently recorded a song with my band while using some unique guitars which we cant use everyday, but found we needed an extra riff in a few areas for the lyrics. Since we recorded on digital we could just cut the riff from another part of the song and place it in later, sounds perfect !

Highly recommend pulling out your mic from your tape deck and jamming it into a PC loaded with some audio software.

Well worth it I belive

[soundmasterg]

I fully appreciate the flexibility and ease of use regarding some things on digital recording. I just feel the initial recording sounds best going to tape, especially for bass heavy signals. When its time to edit and mix, then its computers for me with no looking back.

[rollingricker21]

Bass does seem to come out warmer.

Tape and digital..Its kind of like listening to old records instead of an mp3 player.. You just like to see something spinning

[soundmasterg]

Well mp3 is another thing entirely. If you listen to a song in mp3 in a good studio environment, you wonder why anyone would ever want to listen to mp3's, with all the whooshing sounds on the top end and other stuff going on in the lows. But on a computer or an mp3 player, they sound ok. I still prefer the original wav file, or the original cd/record to mp3 any day.