What's the Deal with Analog?
A DAW sounds fine, so…
If you think the sound is why folks like me prefer analog music-making, you’d be less than half right. While I do love the tones that come easily on my console, I can get close in a computer. It takes a different approach, takes me a little longer, but I get sounds I like listening to out of a DAW.
The reason analog is still king is because it is still a hobby. I don’t know what making music in a DAW is most the time. It is something akin to masturbating then showing off results. Sure work gets done in a DAW, but a lot of the “work” I hear is syncing menu items to BPMs and playing with effects. That’s wholly different than pounding a song out on an instrument. When it is just me and a guitar, there’s no menus. There’s no BPMs. There’s no mix. There’s my brain and there’s my hands. It is simply a more fun way to spend my time. And that is the deal with analog.
But what about the time making it? Isn’t that supposed to be enjoyable?
Folks I know who dig analog too have time they devote to music-making and enjoying that time is more important than enjoying the rewards of the music. The time to make the music is a reward in itself. Why spend that on a computer?
- sidenote-The demo lesson
I try (these days) to make nice demo packages for collaborators. I didn’t always. The reason is I want to be a good part in the day of these nice folks helping me out on a song. I want them to enjoy tracking and thinking of parts. I want good memories. I want them to want to play along. When I tossed crap over, I often got crap back. It’s different today. It’s not because of my ears. It’s because I am trying to have fun doing this stuff.
Let us count the ways. 1.
Analog is more fun to use in several ways, not just one way. First? No updates. I have devoted entire segments of my life learning software for production only for it to change key features or get bought and boom, my workflow has to change. My process should not be so dependent on software just for this alone. I don’t get better at things if they always change the rules.
2.
A screen stimulates. You may not notice. But, as someone who has cut out screens except to write a blog entry and watch the BBC occasionally, I can tell you, I am more calm than I can ever remember being. What this tells me is I’m “getting off” doing DAW work. It is feeding me stuff, it ain’t just music. The thing is, I like my mind better without the effect of screens all day on it. I want to like myself. So analog is an easy choice there.
3.
Analog has a few technical perks over computer DAW’s. My favorite now, because I am on a big project is “set it and forget it.” If me or a client wants all the songs to sound the same, cohesive, like they were all made together with a lot of the same thoughts in mind, it’s very easy. Sure, it is possible and probably done on the daily in the world on computers. But I have been using DAW’s since Cool Edit Pro 2.0 a long time ago, (2002?), and that one function has never been so easy as it is with the Tascam recorder. I just leave the knobs. Next.
4.
Software companies suck. I know that’s a general and broad statement. But, years of dealing with them have taught me, I can’t even trust this blog site I am using until we push and pull a little to test malleability. The culture of software is grimy and gross. They have no respect for folks’ time and their job is to save just that. They reboot or update software that takes years to learn, they get bought, change the feel, change the goals. They might take on new features and functions that detract from their primary purpose, or at least, purpose for you. And now, they harvest. They know everything you like. They can even track your eye movements on your phone to know what your eyes do while scrolling, looking at porn. They suck. A huge satisfaction for analog work for me is not giving them the pleasure.
5.
The main reason I am converting every studio function to analog as I can is really because my hands. It is good for them. I have Tardive Dyskinesia and I get relieved whenever I can do something I intend to do with my fingers, my hands. I like to type, one reason is this. I like faders, buttons, knobs, precise movements that have direct effect on the monitors. It makes me feel solid. I don’t get “solid” vibes with a mouse. It hovers in the general area, not precise like an actual fader or knob at my fingers. Precise is a good word because computer mixing often requires selecting from menus. That feels more like “getting lucky” when I stumble on things. That’s fine if you want that. But I prefer to dial things in the way I intend from the beginning. I am working towards that.
Like everything, it’s a process.
I got a console, Tascam Model 24. It sounds fabulous. Preamps on every channel. The sound hardly needs anything if it sounded good in tracking. Very different from an interface to computer. I rarely got good sounds through the Focusrite that didn’t take a good deal of messing with. Another reason I like analog recording is less computer work. There’s a whole shift I don’t have to do at the computer desk by going in the Tascam. It sounds fine already. So, one less thing.
I am not fully analog yet. But I am getting there. It’s not cheap, sadly. It takes saving, in my tax bracket. But, music. I am used to that.
How I’d get started today in analog.
If you ever want to try analog recording, I would start small. Or borrow. You may be hooked on the computer way of doing things and I’d feel bad encouraging you to spend money on something you can’t use. Analog will make you work how it needs to work. Some folks don’t like that. I do, less on my brain. The good thing is starting small is totally possible. Ever heard of a 4 track? Or even, an 8 track? Those can be very reasonable. Zoom makes great digital/analog style recorders. I still have my 16 track from “back in the day” and it works great. The sound is very pleasant. I like Zoom recorders because they have very few proprietary buttons, terms, actions. So if you know music, you can probably figure out their stuff pretty quick. No learning curve on new gear is like mana from the gods. Software companies do not reward you in this way, hardly ever.
It never ends, (that’s fine).
I am on the market now for outboard gear. I am looking at various options for compression. I use Opto and FET compression a lot in computer mixing. This is fun for me. One less thing for the computer to do, coming soon.
Kelly Kintner, Editor