The Neve Portico Tape-Emulator

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PHILANDDON

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Do any of you analog guys think this could be THE device that kills analog?
 
PHILANDDON said:
Do any of you analog guys think this could be THE device that kills analog?

Not if you want to use it for archival storage, looping or varispeed.
 
Let's see, $1435 for only two channels of imitation analog, or less than $400 for a Tascam TSR-8 or 38 with 8 tracks, real analog...

-MD
 
PHILANDDON said:
Do any of you analog guys think this could be THE device that kills analog?

No, devices like this only stir interest in real analog.
 
Its an interesting and good idea, but no- Neve's idea isn't going to kill analog. Analog as a consumer format does seem to be dying, but over all it isn't. 2" tape has never been threatened (except for the brief time Quantegy went under) at the high end, it just isn't the only option anymore.

I was having a conversation with a local philospher. Was was waxing elequent about how the internet and email are destroying people's ability to actually write. "No one write's letters anymore literacy is in a tail spin", he lamented.

My response gave him a moment's pause: "How many people have EVER been regular letter writers and highly literate?" It may well be that there are just a LOT more people doing non-paper writing, but the same percentage of the population is still writing thank you letters and whatnot.

I think analog is the same way. There is still a lot of analog multitracking going on out there. Its just that the sheer volume of digital machinery makes it look less significant.

What is dying is analog as a consumer format. There are no new multitrack tape machines to buy other than the 2" monsters. I agree with Beck, such devices will probably do more to rekindle interest in analog more than replace it.

-Chris
 
It's just occurred to me that this is almost exactly what SPL tried to do with their 'Machine Head' unit a few years ago. It's discontinued now, which gives some idea of how well that went.
 
PHILANDDON said:
Do any of you analog guys think this could be THE device that kills analog?


It will kill analog just about as quickly as rubber dolls did away with real wives and husbands.


:D
 
themaddog said:
Let's see, $1435 for only two channels of imitation analog, or less than $400 for a Tascam TSR-8 or 38 with 8 tracks, real analog...

-MD

well put, i just dont understand it, what is the point in spending thousands of dollars on these 'analog emulators' when you can have the real thing for cheaper????
 
Kasey said:
well put, i just dont understand it, what is the point in spending thousands of dollars on these 'analog emulators' when you can have the real thing for cheaper????

Let's see...the convenience of digital, and analog sound. I get it.

The 'real thing' is only really affordable if you're happy with 8 tracks. Above that, analog IS NOT cheap.

Haven't heard the Portico, but would be interested to hear what it does to the sound of, say, an Alesis HD24 recorder (which already sounds pretty fine to me).

I agree with the point about this kind of device only helping to maintain interest in analog. And hey, that's a good thing: those big reels turning look so damn cool, don't thay?
 
robin watson said:
The 'real thing' is only really affordable if you're happy with 8 tracks. Above that, analog IS NOT cheap.

if youre still going to use a digital system, you could get a 2 track reel to reel and treat it the exact same way you would treat this neve thing. how is that not cheaper? same system, but you go with the reel to reel rather than the super expensive emulator.
 
but the reel to reels you are suggesting to use are low end units...basically consumer quality. The Neve unit just "may" sound better than running your mix thru a crappy Tascam 1/2 track 1/4" tape format. But then again it may not. Same with your TSR8 1/2" multitrack.

shoot..save yourself even more money... get a cheapie cassette deck and use that tape format. Stereo for 50 bucks!!! :rolleyes:
 
mixmkr said:
but the reel to reels you are suggesting to use are low end units...basically consumer quality. The Neve unit just "may" sound better than running your mix thru a crappy Tascam 1/2 track 1/4" tape format. But then again it may not. Same with your TSR8 1/2" multitrack.

shoot..save yourself even more money... get a cheapie cassette deck and use that tape format. Stereo for 50 bucks!!! :rolleyes:

Ditto the above. A recorder capable of doing the 'warming up' thing AND maintaining the dynamics and noise floor of digital will not be found in the Akai GX series.
 
PHILANDDON said:
Do any of you analog guys think this could be THE device that kills analog?

No. I think this may be THE device that milks suckers for their money at the consumer level of digital recording.
If anything kills analog in the future it will be quality digital recording equipment being what it is, not trying to emulate what it is not. That's just silliness.
 
mixmkr said:
but the reel to reels you are suggesting to use are low end units...basically consumer quality.

Are you speaking of the Tascam TSR-8 and 38? Please elaborate about what you’ve experienced while using them.
 
mixmkr said:
but the reel to reels you are suggesting to use are low end units...basically consumer quality. The Neve unit just "may" sound better than running your mix thru a crappy Tascam 1/2 track 1/4" tape format. But then again it may not. Same with your TSR8 1/2" multitrack.

shoot..save yourself even more money... get a cheapie cassette deck and use that tape format. Stereo for 50 bucks!!! :rolleyes:


Even better...get yourself a $30 386 at a garage sale and some freeware. Boom, got yourself a genUine, prefesionale studio. Ought to be some NICE metallic clunk to those recordings. :D
 
In regards to "low-end" reel to reel decks, if you read the description of the Neve carefully, it describes that is can emulate 7.5 ips or 15 ips. Now, without getting into a total arguement at what speed analog sounds best, professional speed is still 30 ips.

My point is, this device, this mere emulator, isn't even designed to emulate the "professional" reel to reel machines.

As for being limited to only 8 tracks with a TSR-8 or Tascam 38, you could step up to a 16 track recorder for the same price, if not less, than this 2 track emulator.

-MD
 
robin watson said:
Ditto the above. A recorder capable of doing the 'warming up' thing AND maintaining the dynamics and noise floor of digital will not be found in the Akai GX series.

The Tascam TSR-8 or even the MSR-16 both fit the bill, and at far, far cheaper than the Neve. Check the specs.

-MD
 
there's nothing unprofessional about TSR-8, MSR-16, Tascam 32/34/38/388, older TEAC a-3340(s)/80-8 and other similar machines with similar features and similar specs of different brands (Fostex, Otari)
The professionals who don't have/don't use/don't know how/or for what have you other reasons don't offer to clients recording on any of such machines (unless they offer recording on 1"/2" models) - ARE unprofessional as music recording engineers/producers.

/respects
p.s.
btw, the Neve's device is pretty cool :cool: , it's DAMN COOL!, But, in respect to analog tape recording I must say, that it has no potentials to influence usage of analog tape recording in any way (nor negatively no positively), imho
one thing fo sure thou,... the fact that somebody would make a such device and somebody would use such device simply is another indication, that analog tape recording is highly desirable.... not to say, that anybody really needs a such indication, well, with exception of people, who from time to time may need some indications which would prove (or back up) notions like: "The Snow is White", "The Ocean is Deep", "The salt is salty" and "I Love My Dog"....
well, the last one... you'd have to just trust me on that one :D
 
First there were "Analog" plugins and now this!

PHILANDDON said:
Do any of you analog guys think this could be THE device that kills analog?

If the person who's looking into this has some intelligence, he'll note that this type of product is very bad news for digital. The device pretty much tells about the inferiority of digital as a musically pleasing medium. Hey, I didn't say it, NEVE did! ;)

All such products really do is give credence to the fact that Analog just sounds better or nicer (or whatever you wanna call it) than digital. Everytime someting like this comes out, digital looks a whole lot less attractive.

And YES, practically all of the so called "semi-pro" decks, mentioned above, WILL sound nicer than any digital setup.

~Daniel
 
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analog

Why does everyone always say Tascam sucks and it is unprofessional when i myself have heard 1/2" Tascam recordings not only done by amateurs in the tracking phase, but also mastered by amateurs, sound FUCKING HUGE? I know that youll get a little more polished of a sound from a higher end machine, but who cares whether or not 13 year old girls can dig your recordings? How smooth and polished does something have to be? I cant wait until i get old and rich so i can buy a high end machine and start ripping on everyone elses stuff!!
 
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