Kapo_Polenton
Well-known member
This guy does:
And this coming from someone who has mixed on digital and analog boards, and still has no computer in his studio. ;-)
I specifically bought an SSL bus comp (a Radioman clone, mind you... I do have an original Urei 1178 tho') for that cohesiveness and 'glue'.
That thing instantly can elevate a decent, if somewhat 'demo' sounding mix to something that sounds more radio-ready.
FWIW, my recording medium is an Alesis HD24XR and my current desk is an Allen & Heath GS-R24.
Best of both worlds. Analog signal paths, ADAT interface.
And if I want, I could mix to this guy:
View attachment 146710
For that nay-sayer claiming that tape doesn't add shit, I disagree. And for the sole reason that running quality tape in the red (on a quality deck) adds harmonic compression, that sounds pleasing to most for most music genres other than classical.
Hell, I even tested this myself with recording a low/medium bitrate mp3 (128 or 160kbps) to a mini disc recorder (which adds its own ATRAC compression) and then I hooked the minidisc device up to the Philips RTR and recorded it around +3dB. It came out sounding better than how the mp3 started!
So dismissing tape altogether, just because you don't use it is as narrow-minded as dismissing others for shit they haven't used themselves.
I started recording on multi track tapedecks in the mid 90's, when sure, things sounded like shit. And then moved on to digital all-in-one machines with instant gratification. My biggest 'secret': I was never recording super hot on digital. Around -12dBFS to -10dBFS per track. So, after summing, I still had plenty headroom and things sounded good and open; not congested, busy, distorted, like so many falling for the loudness wars-trap.
And now I use a hybrid-setup. As I acquired a simple RME Digiface USB recently, I do expect to someday connect the desk with 4 ADAT lines directly to a PC, do the tracking ITB (maybe with a few plug-ins) and then still use my analog outboard gear as well.
Agreed.
Hybrid is the way! All anyone has to do is run their mix through any of the 2 bus mix comps available at access analog and listen to what comes out the other end to know. Glue, smoothness, widened stereo field. Game set and match. The only downside to hybrid is you need to be organized and learn to work fast in the way you patch in your outboard. Which again makes access analog so cool because you load it as a plugin, get what you want and then send files for processing out of the session and drag em back in. Analog is making a come back. Analog tape though... probably not as much but no question it also sounds good. I wouldn't say better, but also really good. You need good quality tape though.
Oh and somebody thats knows how to run the shit.
there is no “magic”, it’s the arrangement, the songwriting, and the analogous equipment being used that make the biggest difference on those records. Sure, of course tape contributes to the sound, but not to the extent people make it out to be; and the “tape” plugins are for sure a scam: unless you really love fucking up your low end and the low becoming bloated as all Christ, then more power to ya. I don’t like those types of plugins because they change the mix overtly in a way that you can no longer control everything. They do far more harm than good. In.my.opinion.
