miroslav
Cosmic Cowboy
Well yeah....analog gear can require a lot of TLC. Tape decks are all "used" gear at this point, so no easy way to keep them going, though surprisingly enough, there are some pro/full-time use decks that were built exceptionally well, especially when you get toward the end of the tape deck manufacturing years....so once you set them up, they just run and run and run.
Still, these days you kinda’ want to have some spare parts on hand if possible, since they are getting older and older with every use...they can also develop issues unexpectedly.
Other than tape decks, which have way many moving parts....the other analog gear (consoles, preamps, mics, compressors, etc) can run for years and years and years, with only the occasional calibration, or tube swap, or maybe a recap.....no different than your typical guitar amp.
When you consider all that....how many people have a running computer that they still use that is 15-20-30 years old....???
Not many.
So there are drawbacks on both sides.
What I really like about a lot of the "decent" analog gear is that it's like an investment that keeps giving for a long time, unlike disposable/upgradable software and digital gear.
That said....I do have digital gear that's going on 15 years now, and still working....but that's mainly 'cuz I skipped like a half dozen upgrades and I didn't feel like constantly buying new computers and software to sorta’ do what I was already doing.
I got love....and occasional hate....for both analog and digital. When both are working well, it's a dream...when they are not, it's equally painful...be it analog or digital.
Still, these days you kinda’ want to have some spare parts on hand if possible, since they are getting older and older with every use...they can also develop issues unexpectedly.
Other than tape decks, which have way many moving parts....the other analog gear (consoles, preamps, mics, compressors, etc) can run for years and years and years, with only the occasional calibration, or tube swap, or maybe a recap.....no different than your typical guitar amp.
When you consider all that....how many people have a running computer that they still use that is 15-20-30 years old....???
Not many.
So there are drawbacks on both sides.
What I really like about a lot of the "decent" analog gear is that it's like an investment that keeps giving for a long time, unlike disposable/upgradable software and digital gear.
That said....I do have digital gear that's going on 15 years now, and still working....but that's mainly 'cuz I skipped like a half dozen upgrades and I didn't feel like constantly buying new computers and software to sorta’ do what I was already doing.
I got love....and occasional hate....for both analog and digital. When both are working well, it's a dream...when they are not, it's equally painful...be it analog or digital.