transferring digital mix to 8 or 2 track reel to reel

[carlessadam]

Hi my dilemma is as follows...

I will record into my laptop daw using an 8 input usb audio interface. Once Ive grouped everything in my daw to 8.channels i see two choices i am confused on in order to get some warmth, which is recommended. 1) I send these 8 tracks onto the 8 inputs of an 8 track reel to reel device i have. Then send those 8 tracks back to thé 8 ins of my audio interface and mix the 8 tape tracks down in the daw. 2) record straight to daw, create a stéréo mixdown in the daw and send this to a 2 track reel to reel 'mastering' device. My question is, Will i benefit more by sending each 8 track to tape in terms of Old warmth than i Wud just doing everything digital then printing the mixdown to 2 track reel. My understanding of using a 2 track reel device to master stéréo mixes is because it uses all of the tape width, but if 8 channels were each going into 8 tape inputs wudnt that be thé same exact thing but with more control? Hope someone can help this is doing my head in. Any examples of either Wud be so good.

 

[Beck]

You can do it either way. It's been quite popular over the last decade or so to "Layback" digital tracks to stereo analog 2-track for effect. The greatest advantage of doing it with multitrack like using 8-tracks is getting your mix out of the box to target certain tracks. It's hard to answer the question definitively without knowing what type of music... what genre. Some styles of music won't benefit from analog treatment or any other treatment for that matter. The music is just too godawful.