IMO,..There is nothing like the feeling of opening a freshly brand spankin' new type II tape or open reel,...introducing it to the machine it was meant for,... fast forwarding and then rewinding the tape to stretch it out,...raising the level faders,...and then actually pressing the buttons to record. I don't mind the part where I have to get in there, and get my hands dirty by cleaning & demagnetizing the heads, or changing a belt when needed. It's all about the ritual and the sound of the tape that I love.
This is what I was born & bred on by my father (who was a high end audio snob) who handed over my very first stereo recorder (one of those Pioneer all in one deals, with 8 track, cassette, turntable, & radio) as a kid in the 70's. This is the sound that I came accustomed to,..and still to this day I prefer analog recording. I've had a year or two where I went off and experienced the digital realm in it's purist,..but found out that it wasn't for me. Something was missing. A BIG something was missing.
Am I an analog purist? No. Although most of my recordings are still on tape and need to be transferred to digital for "most" of my friends to hear them. Despite the fact that I do have a tape player in my vehichle or home,..most of my friends don't.
This is where digital becomes a tool for me. In this day and age, you are pretty much "forced" to have some type of digital format so that people may be able to hear your art. It's not like I'll bring my friends over to the homestead one by one to playback my creations on tape,...just so they'll be able to hear it. I just do not have the time to do so. So, this is where a cd burner becomes handy, and I can hand over a disc and say,.."Let me know what you think?".
I'll be 38 next month, and don't consider myself "old". I don't think there's an age limit for any format. If you like to record using a mixer & tape,...then that's what you like. If you like to record by an interface and the click of a mouse,...then that's what you like.
There is no set rule to what you have to use at any age. If that's your preference,..then go with it.
For myself, I'll stick with analog recording 'til I can't turn knobs anymore.
Still to this day it amazes me how you can transfer sound from an instrument to a microphone to magnetic tape. The tape recorder is a spectacular creation, as well as the magnetic tape that is fed to it.
