acorec said:
I did not say you called me anything. I am stating how these threads end up. I talked with Steve directly like I talk to Fletcher and a few dozen other engineers directly. My point is that the last stop for virtually all professional commercial relaesed recordings (other than CD) is the digital workstation for editing and album ordering. Therefore, the recordings that say "AAD" really are "ADD" even though they recorded the basic tracks on an analog machine. The studios use analog machines these days for the effect that they have on drums, bass and guitars. They can, and do, record all digital when the song demands it. There are even talanted engineers out there that do all digital recording and make it sound analog. Listen to these engineers digital recordings and you will see that the "digital bashing" is based on equipment made long ago. The "analog sound" has been what our generation (or anyone listening to pre-digital music) is used to. The new engineers will never see analog and rightly so. Analog is pretty much done in both pro and consumer markets. I guess according to all the analog only guys, when the last analog machine dies there should be no more music.
Lastly, all audio engineering schools have dumped their analog everything. They don't teach on anything but Pro-Tools and analog/digital consoles. So, digital is here to stay and it won't matter to you or anyone on here that refuses to embrace it. This discussion is meaningless as well. The world is digital and will stay that way. The engineering going on to make the digital systems sound more analog is under way in a fast and futile manner. These digital guys will catch up and make analog vs. digital a moot point period.
The future of analog will be (and currently is becoming) a buisiness of "boutique" studios that will offer analog recording for the "retro" artists and charge accordingly. Right now, if you look at the audio broker pages, you will see that the pro used machine market is totally glutted with used machines. These machines are going to home studio owners and some pros for parts/use. But there are way too many for sale with no buyers. Exactly the opposite with the consumer Tascams and the like. I will say that in a few years, a pro machine will be cheaper than a Tascam 16 track.
Actually a good post and everything makes sense and well written.
Now, as for today (not in the future), in respect to the question (why still analog?) , I have couple practical questions here:
The studios use analog machines these days for the effect that they have on drums, bass and guitars. They can, and do, record all digital when the song demands it. There are even talanted engineers out there that do all digital recording and make it sound analog.
So, does this mean, that with today's REAL high end professional digital-only recording system, let's say, ProTools, a highly educated and talented person in professional studio can achive the same result as an uneducated talentless (in respect to engineering) rocker with, let's say, MSR-16 in his garage?
Listen to these engineers digital recordings and you will see that the "digital bashing" is based on equipment made long ago.
Would this mean, that huge majority of the literature and reviews, written by
these engineers about, let's say about tascam DA-30(mkII), audiomedia-III, Akai (DR-4/6/16), Marantz CDR-620 at the time as these products were poping-out were 'softly say', - missleading.?
Maybe they should of been stating it more clear back then, by pointing out, that "What we are saying about these products is not really what it is , but rather what it maybe will be like
in a few years ahead, while at the moment - this is what we got - yada yada, buy it and use it on your own risk, but do not dump your trusted machines yet.
btw, I've picked these
old low end digital recording machines models also because I have these suckers (seating right here in the rack as evedence of my ignorance), and I had a chance (sent by holly spirit, I guess
) to compare them to some REAL! REAL old R-t-R machines. I am not sharing the result of comparing - Enough of laughing at me
, I'll keep it for myself.
And I also have 'evedence' on paper (written statements) about what have been said and how it was presented by Real Pros - "people who knows", as I used to be a subscriber of publications like Recording, Mix magazines etc.... I keep them - I too need something for good laugh from time to time.
(IMPORTANT!!!!!!!!!!! I have absolutely NOTHING against professional studio engineers and professionals who's job is related to recording, musical instruments and recording equipment. I know personally many guys who record for living and guys who sell instruments and equipment for living. On the personal level - cool, friendly, humbly knowledgeable DUDEs
But don't just take anything and everything that comes with prefix
"Pro" as 'a word from Bible'. These guys are the same people as you are, and don't forget, they have
work to do, they do not keep their studio for personal pleasures (meaning I do what I want when I want the way I feel if I feel like).... they have to satisfy the Client and stay in business. And this business isn't easy. If, let's say, between forces of record-industry and the consumer's sense of fashion all that
is needed at the moment and being asked for is just crappy ugly and bangy noise, then that's what professional studios are forced to
produced, and they will do just that or they will have to disappear, and then, you can guess, - the studers will be covered and rolled outa' picture. So when you see NO studers in the big-boys's rooms on the cover of the MIX, The question is: "Would this mean anything to YOU as a musician and self home-studio based producer?"
then, kinda keep thinking, in general,
DOES The Fact, that studers and protools are great and there is a hot shots somewhere out-there who seats in between of both and tells you how great they are in combination,
do anything to you at all? Does it have any practical meaning? Yeah, that's great, so what?
SO WHAT!!!!!!!!?
/later
My background is as a system engineer. Most of my programming has been in assembly in embedded systems. I've designed a number of data sampeling systems that work at audio frequencies up to video frequencies. Currently I've designed and operate a beowulf cluster of 128 nodes with 50 TB of data online. We have a realtime data collection network that measures the parameters of the Columbia River and the near Ocean shelf out to about 30 miles. This is analog to digital and process the data and compair to the model results. Of course our sample rate is much less than audio and the precision of hte data is much less than 16 bits. I do not say that I am an digital audio engineer but I am a research engineer with 35 years experience in digital and analog design.
Yes, you gave me your background, for some reason that is way beyond me. As a long time professional computer programmer and digital engoneer I am almost amazingly unimpressed. 
