Working with tape is a lot of fun. Sure there are drawbacks, maintenance, parts availability and of course tape costs.
And then compared to digital it sounds less than ‘pristine’.
There are plenty of people who started out on tape and then went to all digital and eventually moved to a daw that will never look back to the ‘good old days’ of tape.
Some are running hybrid studios with tape and a daw.
Some who use a daw exclusively will absolutely just shit on anyone’s desire to use tape. They remind me of the former smokers who have quit and are now the most rabid anti-smoker nazis.
But we’re all grown ups here capable of our own decisions and recording music how we want, on whatever medium we want.
Oh, did I mention recording to tape is fun??
I would advise anyone getting into all analog to definitely research and know what you’re getting into.
Many have described the 388 as sounding Lo-Fi. But who give a shit, it’s not like any of us are getting record deals. It’s just making music to be enjoyed by oneself and an audience limited by our sphere of influence.
So look into it and make yourself happy.