Music Producer & Composer

Three Grammys, hundreds of instruments, millions of ideas...

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Friday

Analog vs. Digital Recording

At some point n the 1990’s I sold the last of my analog recording machines. Cut and paste digital editing had completely changed the way I worked. I could take any of the myriad of instruments I had compulsively collected, start working on a phrase I heard in my head, and record it over a click track numerous times until I played it as I heard it. I would then lay it in the piece in the appropriate spot.  So that even if my skill on a particular instrument was limited, I could eventually get what I was looking for. Such a non-linear approach to recording and arranging musical parts was a revelation for me. This in combination with the plethora of other technical advantages of software-based recording eventually confirmed my preference for digital recording.
 On an environmental level I also could no longer rationalize the formidable power consumption of analog recording machines and mixing consoles. There is also the issue of inconsistent frequency response related to head calibration and tape formulations etc. (including the common bump at 20 – 80 Hz.).
I still prefer the sound of analog recording for loud music, but since the technology of noise reduction slowed after the introduction of digital recording devices, I prefer digital recording for quiet music (as some tape noise is still an issue even with the best noise reduction schemes).

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