I'll jump in here as a rock producer who started at the end of the analog age, and was lured into digital work stations in the early 90's. I simply didn't understand why I could not get a sound I was happy with. I would take digital tracks and then re play them through tube amps, re mic, and blend the tracks together to try to PUT BACK into the recordings what should have been there in the first place.
Jimmy Page once said that if you record things properly you don't need EQ. I could not agree more.
Digital recording will always be more like filling a glass with marbles rather than water. As long as there is as sampling rate, there will be a point to where the music disappears if you get close enough to it. There are holes and those will be exposed the better your stereo playback set up.
Why do you think all the obsession with the low end powered subs? To try to fill in the holes.
A classical orchestra developed centuries ago based upon the overall sonic soundscape of frequency understanding.. It was intuitive and it worked.
We are now in the age of manipulation, where a band with two guitarists, and a keyboardist all want equal presence in the mix.. so you have to use compression to give that illusion. It's all smoke and mirrors now.
Groups now are more concerned with how they will sound on an ipod than a real system. It really is a horrific situation.
What I am finding (probably no surprise to posters here) is that new vinyl releases are simply CD's pressed on vinyl. There is no advantage to vinyl at that point. What is gone is gone from the get go..
I have been manipulating and faking my way through recordings for years to try to "Get" a more real sound through much difficulty. Some applaud me, others send me to hell in the hundreds of reviews I have received. Most don't get it.
I have no problem compromising some "hiss" for warmth and something that sounds more organic to the ears.. but mass market listeners have ZERO idea what a proper recording should sound like.
If you look at painters.. they all should have become obsolete with the invention of the photo camera, but there is still something in the ability to BLEND the paint.. into something that does NOT more precisely represent reality.
This is really the argument for multitracking. Some like it and some don't. But it does offer the producer a lot more production options. And this is what has led up to the homogenized production values we see today in popular music.
People are not used to listening to natural..
As a lot of you know, a great system is not always a mind blower.. often this can expose the short comings of a recording. But with a great recording, only then can your proper set up really shine. And this takes us back to the golden age of recording.. and playback.
It's not going to happen again. Enjoy your tube amps, vinyl and just thank heaven it happened in the first place.
Humans are lazy if given the chance, and I don't see the old time producers sticking up for the analog age like they should.. maybe their hearing is not what it was.. but I don't see anyone wanting to splice tape anymore, and I don't see musicians really shedding to become excellent when they know that a studio can fix anything in the digital realm. I am speaking more to the young kids here.
Everyone wants something for nothing, and unfortunately I don't see it changing anytime soon...
Now we are at the mercy of economics. Even if you invested in the old gear, you might have a hard time finding people who can work on it. Also it is hard to find talent.. real talent..
In the old days, musicians didn't have 700 cable channels, and the internet.. and all the other distractions.. AND girls are impressed with DJ's more than musicians.. and don't think this isn't a factor.. it is. It's a HUGE factor.
A site like this gives a glimmer of hope.. but it will take more than just Jack White to do it.
