Did someone let out the secret?

[RICK FITZPATRICK]

Hey Senn, have you noticed this forum is getting more posts. I wonder why crap the words gettin out. Gotta go(to ebay)!
fitz

 

[Sennheiser]

Yeah, I have noticed.

This forum was dead when I started visiting it.

Hell, we might be able to generate enough traffic to put it back in the mainstream forums.

I think between you and I, sjjohnson, pipeline, and the rest of the analog heads here, we've breathed some life back into it.

 

[Son of Mixerman]

Hey....I like analog! But I haven't had the room so Ive been struggling with the Md8 whilst writing. Im in the process of remodeling 1/2 my garage into a studio/mastering duplication facility. Im taking pictures as I go so that John boy can put them up after Im a little farther along. Its been so long, this gear has been in storage for way...way to long. Im thinking about wiring it all and I just quiver. But I gotta find a way to keep the E-16 out of reach on my 2 kids, Im thinking up high but still visible, and I lost the fricking manuals and my memory is like Ronny Rayguns. So if you think the posting here is getting hot, wait till Christmas come around (in Im not working OT still). If aint on tape, youve been raped


Heh heh..

SoMm

 

[Sennheiser]

If aint on tape, you've been raped

I like that.

 

[RICK FITZPATRICK]

Im thinking about wiring it all and I just quiver.

Ha, I know what you mean. I decided last month to go ahead and cable my 2nd MSR-16. I see soldering irons in my dreams.
fitz

 

[longsoughtfor]

Hey! whats going on here? The last time I posted something in this forum it took 2 weeks for someone to read it!

Keep the tape rolling! Get this forum returned to where it belongs!!



Kevin.

 

[RICK FITZPATRICK]

Hi Kevin, you're right. Thats why I posted this. You know as well as I do, and I'm only an amatuer. When you listen to a tape playback compared to a digital, tape blows the digital away. Unless you can afford a full blown protools, home based computer daw recordings suck. I think now, anyone who is truely interested in recording, and started out with digital, sooner or later faces the analog truth. Thats why this forum will grow. At what rate is anyones guess. I won't debate the digital/analog thing anymore. To each his own. Thats why I just purchased a Tascam 42b 2 track machine. I wanted a new computer, but once I saw the 2trk, that did it. I do use my computer for midi sequencing, but mostly for autocad and net stuff. Besides, its like I advise people, if your interested in digital, better take a look at ALL the "woe is me" digital forums, including the tascam site. All of a sudden, theres a lot of people ready to throw their new DM-24's etc in the trash. Have you wondered why there are so many TM-D1000's for sale on ebay? But thank god for digital, or I wouldn't have the toys I have. Ha!
fitz

 

[Sennheiser]

Hey! whats going on here? The last time I posted something in this forum it took 2 weeks for someone to read it!

Keep the tape rolling! Get this forum returned to where it belongs!!
Kevin.

Well Kevin, with only 229 posts in over a year's time, we could have used some help from you too.

 

[longsoughtfor]

Sennheiser - Forgive me man! I'll try and make up for it.

Rick - your right, I love the sound of analog too. But at some point, an A/D conversion has to take place. We are in a digital distribution only industry (aside from some fringe LP pressing companies).

The question is: where & when do you do you convert to digital?

At the moment, I record to the MS-16 & mix to Sonar then burn CD's from my PC. I do have a 1/4" Ampex that I can mix to but tend to not use it too much. If we need more the 14 or 15 tracks we can fly some stuff to Sonar for mix later or just record in sync to Sonar.

Does anyone else do mixed format recording?

Kevin.

 

[frederic]

Does anyone else do mixed format recording?

I only had to do it once. Percussion and bass on Akai DR 8's, guitar(s) and vocals on an A80 synced together.

Was a REAL pain in the butt.

 

[RockaBill]

Just wanted to chime in & say hello & that I love my analog tape! I've been surfing this BBS for almost a year & have picked up a ton of info in all the forums. I get most of my anolog fix over at the Tascam Analog forum.

Currently recording to a MS-16 & mix to a masterlink. Yes, we all have to go digital sometime.

Hope to see more interest & posters on this forum.

RockaBill

 

[Sennheiser]

Only at the very end though.

I had one person who I tracked for that wanted to listen to my mixes. The person did not have a cassette deck and I didn't have a CD player (or burner) at the time.

Well, they came over to listen to the final mix right where we tracked it. They loved it. I thought that was great...that was the first sesion I was ever paid for.

I can't now, but soon will be able to dump direct to CD. Right from eight-track analog. There won't be any editing sessions, or punch'es, or any other crap. When I feel the mix is right , then it goes to disc.

 

[A Reel Person]

Don't forget me,...

I was here before all you guys, [oops, all except RICK]! And, just between me & you, I'm 'long time user' over at Tascambbs.

I've been known to float a few analog related posts, but lately I've been keeping my posting down, and just reading the boards. I'll post when I think there's something relevant to say,... like "hey, don't forget me"!

I'm basically an analog head, but I broke tradition this year and got the digital/analog hybrid "Fostex FD4", which took some getting used to, but I found I like it a lot,... not so much for 'ease of use' features, but mostly for it's sound, being 16-bit/44.1khz, direct to disc, via an analog style mixer. You know,... you've all seen the Fostex FD4.

Anyway, despite having a couple digitals and a few Fostexes, at heart I'm basically a Tascam/Analog person. Plus, I'm a tech oriented DIY'er, ready and able to fix or repair older units gotten cheaply on Ebay,...

AND, I know where to get analog tape media at shamefully LOW prices,... no,... dirt-cheap-rock-bottom-blowout-prices,... starting at $1 per reel! I've gotten boxes and boxes of analog reel tape media, stashed away, stocked up, and ready to go,... and I'll probably get more soon.

The latest tape deal I've found is 456/457 bias compatible QUANTEGY tape on 7" reels/1200' length, for,... $2.95 per reel, NEW. You can't touch this/I'm the king!

PS: I'll track and mix in analog, and record mixdowns to MD and also to the PC in WAV format, ultimately to burn CDs of my mixes. [The MD is for redundant or scratch mixes, WAVs & CDs for final mixes]. Sounds simple? It is!

 

[RICK FITZPATRICK]

Hey guys, how ya doin this weekend. Time for some recording? Tell me what your working on. I'm really interested in what your doing? Ok, let me get this straight. Senn, your ? at ? and reelperson...ah, long time user..where the fuck you been..Ha! Nice to hear from you......Hows your recording comin? And for that matter how is your guitar pickin coming?!, I want to hear your MUSIC guys!...but damn, this crap computer is bumm, wish I could get a TAPE from you!! Tell me what your playing. Guitars, keys, what?????? Now, let me ask you a question. Which is more fun, playing or hitting the record button?
You know, I've had a change in direction with recording. I am getting back to what I built my studio for in the first place. And thats to have a musicians tool. And to have fun. And now, I find myself in a quagmire. OK, I've got a long, verbose self confession to make I wrote this last week, but had to think about it before I got the courage to post this. And for those of you who are bored at the moment, let me pose this scenario..There comes a time, when you have to say...ok, what did I start out to do here? Build a studio, or record music. Somewhere , the lines blurred. Even after getting everything together, at least enough to record, the studio concept itself was consuming the music. I never intended to be a for hire studio in the first place. Mine was to be a "conceptual music" recording tool, not an acoustical education. Well, today changes the way I view my "studio". Hence this post.:
Ok fellow analog lovers, I sit here in front of my console. Everything is on. I have a new striped tape, spooled, MSR cleaned/demaged, and cleaned again, midiizer primed for autolocate, and midi interface system, w/ computer(my drum tracks) and Keyboards, midiizer connected to interface(Optcode 128). My drum files are built in (cakewalk9)
As I sit here, contemplating what the fuck I am trying to do, I am dumfounded. Haveing collected all this shit, soldered, built, wired, and studied, I haven't got the foggiest idea what to do first. Isn't that stupid? All of a sudden, there is something missing. Some aspect of recording, that I have ignored, or forgotten the purpose of.
And that something missing is production. When I build something, I mentally envision it. Very complex assemblys are routine for me. But music assembly(multitrack recording?) which is essential to what I have in mind, is something that I thought I understood. But now I find myself in a sense, lost. Lost in capability. Lost in too much capability. I know the tunes. They are bar charted. I know my solos, I know the tempos. I have a track sheet prepared but I don't really know what all goes on a track sheet) I have 10 songs arranged for drums with 60 chord maps for, 2 acoustic guitars, solo electric/acoustic guitars, and others....whew.... and pads sweetening instruments, vocals and harmony overdubs. What I don't have is a sense of what I should put down first. A click track(with smpte?)for each tune? Or for just one? One song per tape? And most of all, since I have a midiizer, and the computer is slaved to the tape, do I now need to program the midiizer for all the different tempo maps and bar chart for each song, or just one if its 1 song per tape" or..." aahhhhhhhhhhhhh!
...ah...what the fuck was I thinking? I know exactly what to do.. have fun!!!! hey reelperson, nice to hear from you, and senn, whats the haps' Alright shit, I admit, I haven't been able to download your MP3 ...I got a hard drive notice..Warning, you only have 1 meg left. Ha! I have a 4 gig drive... old..veru fucking old..and full of cad. and music.. sooooo, I can't load anything untill I copy this drive, and get it into my new drives. It won't even defrag AAAGGGGGGRrrrAnyway, listen, I enjoy hearin from you, and for those of you who managed to read this far before falling asleep, the next discussion is on the 60 chord system101. Ha, have a great weekend guys, I get to dig a ditch to fix my water main which got broked...bla..bla...bla excuse me while I grab my strat.
fitz

 

[RICK FITZPATRICK]

Hello again, wow!, I can't beleive how many of you are responding, Hello, hello helloo
lets see, SMM, and hi frederic, and lets see, wait a minute, longsoughtfor, boy, almost got you confused with, ah..no, holy crap, long time user, no thats a reel person, or is who on first Ha! Ok this is too good. Man do I need this. Don't get out much, so this is my place to hang. I gotta life thoo! too much of a life! ha! Well who's recording what, on what track when and are you havin fun and ....ya Ok, let me get this straight, but first..... does everybody love analog YEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! I LOVE MY MSR's and yess reel person, I am addicted, ooooouuuu can't wait to hook up the new 42b.. and
ok, back to business, enough of this tom fooolery.lol!!

Ok lets see Son of mixerman, your studio is down right now, right? Man I'm gettin ready to do the same thing this spring. AAAAAHHHHH! But in the meantime I'm still trying to get to tracking. Your a 16trk owner arn't you? 1"? I'm jealous... .say, I've gotta get a hold of Recording Engineer, cause his studio blew me away. I would love to lay some tracks there sometime. He doesn't live far from me. My studio is for fun, but I'd love to track some guitar there...man, its one thing to talk acoustics, its another thing to hear it, wow, which reminds me, longsought for, how's your studio comin man! I went to your site, but my comp sucks, couldn't load it. Did you finish your room yet? Your already recording there arn't you? Tell us some of your stuff man!! Clues to the inside stuff. You know! Ha, that little mic trick you have, or a special kick eq... and what are you using for a console? I got a new design for a diffuser that I'm going to post soon. Used some of your stuff you told me about. Pretty cool. Can't build it till I get my new place though..frederic, man, give me a fucking break, you blow my mind
have you guys seen what this guy is building? TOOOOOOOOO COOOOL frederic, and listen man, your not going to get away with this without telling us EVERY FRIGGIN DETAIL..and I mean it. You hear me, if you don't I'm going to steal your hubcaps, or somethin...Ha!!!
And Rockabill...whoaaaaa! like the name... do you play it? Rockabilly, if thats what it implys. Too good if it is. Love that stuff!! Never met you before. Hows it goin? Got a studio your working on? Or music or both. Ha! Well welcome, and excuse me if I missed you before. OK OK, I knoow, shut up rick I CAAAANNNNT help it!!!!!!!Damn I love this place, ha!! Ok lets see, is it soldering iron time, or 60 chord practice time, or...hmmm oh shit gotta get some shuteye. Gotta big fucking DITCH to dig tomorrow. Crap.
fitz

 

[A Reel Person]

Hey Rick, don't feel so bad.

I bought a 24-track last year, and found out I don't even have 24 individual ideas to put together in one song! Whatever little recording I've done lately, has been on 4-track. I like 4-track a lot, even though it's very stripped down, and I absolutely love 8-track. Maybe I should have gotten the 16-track before jumping to the 24-track, but the MSR-24/mint seemed like a good idea at the time. [Mental note: find bank and room in house for MS-16].

To reflect what you said, I do think the technological side can overwhelm the creative side, but you have to slow down, take a breath, and get back in touch with what your original idea was: to make and record music. Stop already with the pressure, because I'm fairly assured when I say none of us is going to write "Quadrophenia II", and as I see it, it's all for fun anyway, even if you do consider yourself a great talent or great writer,... which I do not.

For me, it's all for fun, by myself and with my friends. Honestly, I've been creatively blocked for a long time, just like you, but I try to pick up the instruments and warm up from time to time. I haven't had time for a serious production job since June and July, but the good news is that I finally got my pool cleaned up. Haha, not relevant unless you caught my pool thread at HR. AArrrggghh, what a disaster my pool was all year! I got it cleaned up really nicely just in time for fall weather! Ha- back to recording!

Yes, playing the music on an instrument is more fun than the technical gadgetry of recording, but the gadgetry is fun in it's own way, too. Expensive and fun. Just try to not let the gadgetry of the moment overcome the feeling of inspiration that made you want to play a song to begin with. It's the song that you're after, or the sound, and the technology serves as the tool.

Hey, I think we're all spoiled nowadays, with our sync-locked 16-tracks, and our 24-tracks, and all that, when a few years ago, maybe 10, all this equipment way waaaaaayyy too expensive for home recording hobbyists to have at home. Thank 'digital' for that,... or should I say "digi-gaga",... because everything branded as "digital" makes most people go "ga-ga" in wide-eyed amazement! Doesn't it? IMO, 'digital' is just a craze, that makes most people say "I gotta have it", even if they don't understand why or if that's even true. I'm amazed as some of the moronic questions I see on bbs's,... well,... not so much here,... I mean on other bbs's. Haha.

F/I, a question by your average "Newbie" reads: "Hi, I have no clue about home recording, but I think I need a new computer and expensive soundcard, because I want to record myself playing guitar. I really have no clue, but I heard I gotta have digital, so I'm looking for your best computer advice for a newbie who doesn't have a clue about home recording from scratch."

My typical response to the above question: "Get a Tascam Portastudio 4-track, the best one you can afford, or if you're really serious about production value, get a 1/2"-8-track such as the Tascam 38, TSR-8, as well as an M30 or M300 Series mixer, don't for get to check out the wonder of engineering, the Tascam 388, and good luck". [Follow my posts, and you'll know it's true].

Aw geez, I'm rambling,... or ranting,... I don't know which. Haha.

 

[Recording Engineer]

Hey Rick!!!

Hey Rick!!!

Give me a call!!! Or I'll give you a call if I don't hear from you soon! I'll be out of town this weekend though.

Yep, I still want to check-out your "room"... Though I KNOW it's more than just "a room". And come-on-over and lay whatever you'd like down! My schedule is about as open as it could ever be! Should be soldering my patchbays like hell, but I keep on procrasinating.

Weston

 

[Sennheiser]

Well, today I was supposed to clean the basement. That ain't gonna happen.

I'm still learning my new Roland R-5 drum machine, so I guess I'll be fooling with that all day. I've had it for nearly a week now and haven't had the time to really sit down and get into it.

The other night I took it apart to clean the LCD and the inside of the plastic display cover. That's about all I've done on it.

I'd better be learning it quickly; I have a new song to work on and I'm ichin' to hear this machine on tape.

 

[Doug Quance]

A quick "Hi" to all of you in the Analog Forum...

I cut teeth on analog, and have always preferred the sound of a good tape over CD , but let me pose a question for you:

Will higher sampling rates (96K and up) help to cover the difference between A and D? (as well as raise the dynamic range)

And with those higher sampling rates, will it not be possible that some new equipment might come on the scene that will "sweeten" the digital sound to be more like analog?

The same fight goes on in the visual medium. The feel of film is preferred, as film has a higher dynamic range and resolution than digital... but the technology continues to close the gap (which is more difficult than audio, as there are a host of other factors such as focal length, etc)

Personally, I think technology will continue to 'raise the bar' until improvements in digital can no longer be heard.

Any thoughts?

 

[Sennheiser]

Well, I don't want to get into a digital/analog debate. That has been beated to death already.

A lot of folks are trying to get their digital recordings to sound more like analog. Tube amps, tube pre-'s, plug-in's, etc.

Why not just get the real thing and use tape? I will admit that the editing possibilities are unlimited with digital recording, but that just doesn't seem right. It makes me think of manipulating a sonic speadsheet in a computer rather than actually going the length that it takes to make a good analog track. People want everything at the click of a mouse button instead of really working for that sound. That may be a very bold statement and piss off a lot of digital users. I guess they work hard too, ???.

"Hey, I don't actually have to play all that well, I can just doctor all the notes in the computer and fix all the timing mistakes in my wiz-bang sound editor program."

Where is the art in that? Regardless of how good digital gets at reproducing an analog sound, it will never be the same as the old method.