Recording analog in a digital world | So Retro

[@intromix]

Man THIS is the type of studio I would be in heaven to record in! HARDWARE all the way

[@joaocarvalho1424]

I like that too but...maintenance costs all the way

[@lowandodor1150]

....i can sooo relate...i can sooooo not afford ˘J˘

[@iamTovan]

maybe the editor should uses analog recorded song as backing track too.

[@thedayones4918]

Lol why? You are listening while watching this on your phone 😆

[@bobbysmith36]

PS use(s)

[@wormsali]

I'm pretty sure the background music was made by the artists being interviewed

[@ant_the_rant]

Ali Shaheed Muhammad of a Tribe Called Quest, just one of the greatest hip-hop groups of all time who sonically changed the soundscape of the entire genre. Big salute.

[@johnsaras1]

The maintenance on those awesome machines is becoming a lost art though..

[@michaelcandido2824]

Doesn’t take too much to learn how.

[@judsonsnell]

@@michaelcandido2824and it's kinda fun, too.

[@8068]

An Ampex MM-1200 with the door off. Just like we used to run them back in the late 70's.

[@gilberttosanchez]

I love hearing the imperfections in analog music for example, the crackling in vinyls or the buzzing in old vhs stuff just makes me go crazyyyyyy

[@Мирич-з4е]

The reason why you hear the crackling sound on the vinyl is because there is dust on the vinyl. You have to clean it every time, before playing the record, if you want that "perfect" sound.

[@Peter-ff1tp]

What you’re hearing is BAD vinyl.

[@noname52768]

Firstly I record my music onto a cassette tape. Then I re record the same track over the tape 5 more times lose fidelity. After this process I then record said track onto a reel to reel. After this I digitise the track, compress to an MP3 File. Then re record back to a cassette tape and repeat a further 5 times until I have a nice analog sound.

[@sir275handsome]

I'm high too💨😲 and that's a great idea!

[@maxmeier532]

I knew that dude Ali looked familiar! Tribe called quest in the house!

[@danmclane3890]

One man's warmth is another person's psychoacoustically pleasing distortion.

[@charlieangkor8649]

Dan McLane Once I played some Queen cassette from a dumpster and felt the trebles are piercing my eardrums. Because all the recent years I was used to the shitty MP3 which cuts off the signal at like 16 kHz

[@TheAlexHJrShow]

the smartest comment here dan, bravo

[@bob4analog]

This is par excellence! It's so great to see analog recording studios coming up like yours. It stands the test of time.

[@mystdeisanto9919]

I've been working on a studio with bunch of analog stuff, and trust me you don't need that at this period of time. Magnetic tape degrading the sound overtime, recall a session is exhausting, and top of that, maintenance is just madness. You need fastest workflow and most time efficient method to survive in this industry. Fun fact, client and most of listeners can't tell (and don't care) the difference between analog vs digital. So, why bother?

[@Mountainrock70]

Depends on who your audience is!

[@vigilantestylez]

The plugins are so close that there is no real difference in the sound. Lindell 80 Series at 16x oversampling sounds no different than analog.

[@valeraheavy7597]

Analog music is the soul.

[@kudeanden5193]

Agreed

[@ricemilk3185]

Excellent beyond belief

[@TheChadPad]

Class. Absolute class. Thank you for what you do

[@MisHapMusic]

He isn't really talking about the actual recording process or showing off the sound, or the equipment they use, and how they convert it... he is more talking in a wishy washy "feelings" way.. which is sad, cause I love recording out of the box, and it would be nice to hear him talking in more technical matter of fact terms

[@reficul9995]

Blame Cnet for that.

[@miekwavesoundlab]

I approve this message. I love this. I use digital DAW but I run my stems (track recordings) through an analog 2 channel tube compressor into 2 track tape deck then send the tape signal back into my project. It adds warmth and air that you simply cannot get with pure digital setup or plug ins. Maybe I can upgrade more when gear becomes more accessible to my budget. I’d love to have full analog studio one day.

[@prestige2000rider]

Im picking up a Soundcraft series 600 this weekend for my home studio , because it has that sound ! warm british analog. May go for a 16 channel 2" tape recorder later on .

[@jeremythornton433]

This is beautiful. Wish I could afford this type of gear, but alas. I can't. On the positive side though, I can still make music!

[@okachobired5856]

lol it's all very impressive until you see the price tag of the machines

[@EmperorKamikaze]

Two million dollars under that roof

[@8068]

I also use ATR tape - love how the bottom end come back during playback.

[@henryposadas3309]

I dont know why but this video made me so happy. Thanks

[@thomashorrock7221]

It’s true there’s something about hearing the playback of yourself on tape, very different than digital. I started recording on 1/4,1/2, 1” tape but I’ve cut all my records on digital and I’ve been really wanting to do a full analog production lately. The limitations of analog bring out something special in the performances. I’m so jealous of his ampex mm1200, that thing is sweet

[@dudleymutero169]

I was expecting them to convince me why using such old equipment is better. Besyds audiophiles, no one is really listening to the crunchy texture of tape recording etc

[@MattVorn]

You'd be surprised how many records use tape emulation, or tape during the mastering process. Tape doesn't equal crunchy texture. With tape, quality tape and a quality machine, you'll feel the low end get tighter and the high end open up.

[@michaelcandido2824]

You might not care but he engineer does

[@1chauka1]

Its about the process of recording and limitations in editing

[@JacksonTaylorandTheSinners]

I’m gonna have to cut our next record here. Absolutely stunning. Everything is stunning.

[@Punkarts]

That's the number one reason why I've got my degree as a record engineer!

[@ugotthejuicenowman]

Thats what I wanna do

[@JacksonTaylorandTheSinners]

My man’s a purist. Would love to record there. Absolutely beautiful.

[@DougGrinbergs]

2:01 the language he uses shows he knows, appreciates the history of this equipment

[@soulsecretserviceNews]

Thanks for sharing this. The more musicians know about the magic of analog the more they will want to record that way. Digital recordings really do "clip the wings" of the music. :)

[@truthfinder4973]

music gold is done with gear like this respect

[@TheEyesThrone]

I got a Tascam portastudio 424 the other week man i love that thing

[@42mantua]

Hes only giving a brief description not doing a whole tutorial!!!! People always have something negative to say. Really just jealous and envious and not to mention the other thing thats so heavy in this atmosphere these days. Smh Im proud of you Bro. And your studio is whats up. Im a huge fan of analog and always will be. Keep doing what you do. Peace ✌

[@jocknarn3225]

So inspiring; I’m trying 2 build a similarly analogue studio. Smaller, more modest, home to semi-pro vintage Tascam-based. Model-5B + Model-2A side board, TRS 1/2 open reel, 122 Stereo cassette master, coupla DBX-161vu comp/ltmrs, Shure, Rode, AKG, Tascam electrets & un-branded pencil condensers. Got some original Auratones powered with vintage TK-250U amp. Got that original Multitrack Primer, Mike Senior’s book & stardust in my eyes. Everything’s progressively being serviced as needed ... & that’s here in Oz @ the end o/t consumer food-chain. I can only drool @ ur “un-obtainium” gear. More power!

[@PrathamBhatia]

But sm 58 Allrounder mic

[@thestinkycheeseman2208]

I'm also a recording artist/studio owner. I believe in this fully. We do the same thing. Music is not supposed to be perfect. It's supposed to be a perfect moment in time. Keep it going guys.

[@NasaRacer]

If you are of a certain age you will remember when a Compact Disc was considered the best if it was DDD - digital recording, digital mixing, digital transfer then second best was ADD - analog recording, digital mixing, digital transfer and finally AAD - analog recording, analog mixing, digital transfer. Now these guys are all about AAA. Honestly the most important parts of a good recording is first and the most important good musicians that know how to play. Second is the quality of the acoustics of the studio space and third is Microphone quality, selection and placement. All the other factors down the stream of production are far less important.

[@anthemmakersmusic]

Thank you cause we love, "The Process"

[@sweetness_5772]

What a great video. This reminds me of the tour I took in the Insitute Of Audio Research, in New York City, in 1982, when I wanted to learn and become a recording engineer. Back then they were using a 64 track console to learn on. Now it's audio and video. The best part about this video is that everthing is about music. No video equipment. Just musical instruments and musical recording equipment and gear. A music purest. I, love that master anolog tape machine and the reel to reel. Music recording equipment you don't see anymore. It brings me back a lot memories of the 1970's. I will have to admit though. I've bought mostly own Long Play (Lp's), 45's, during my adolescent years, and replaced most of my collection on Compact Discs, even to this day. And I have to admit Compact Discs, a lot clearer and better than Lp's. I know audio purest will disagree with me. But, CD's are just better sounding medium in my personal opinion.

[@davidkellymitchell4747]

As a commercial recording engineer since 1972 I'm glad the analog days are over. Nice place to visit but I wonder if I could live there anymore. I used all those old Ampex's, Scully's and MCI's for decades. Even spent 5 years with the MM1200 like in this video. Mine had an Audio Kinetics locater that made it like the later MCI's. Before that I had the MM-1000 16 track. Had Ampex AG440's and Scully 280's in two and four track configurations. The last analog console I owned was a 32 channel API Legacy loaded with 550l equalizers. Racks of UA limiters. Today as a musician myself I dearly love my DAWs. Incredible editing capabilities, no wow and flutter, tape hiss, tape fringing, getting to the studio an hour early every day to clean and demagnetize the heads and run alignment tapes. Ya'll can have all that you want. 😂 Give me a DAW and plugins.

[@essennagerry]

So as someone who understands both digital and analog recording I want to ask you - if my aim is to record my voice in a way that is the closest to how my voice sounds irl, what is the best way to do that? And something that is like the "raw" option on a camera for example. I just assumed analog would be more accurate bcs I was thinking of analog vs digital signals but I really don't know much about the matter at all. Just bits and pieces of the veru basics ig.

[@Peter-ff1tp]

⁠​⁠@@essennagerry Congrats. You’ve chosen the hardest form of recording possible. The sounds humans are most in tune with are humans voices. You will always, always be able to tell it is a recording. There are audiophile freaks out there who have absolutely massive, absurdly expensive rigs just to get spoken word playback right.

[@judsonsnell]

Why not a bit of both? I can't deal with the upkeep of a 50 year old console or a tape machine with unobtainium parts. But a couple big racks of my favorite circuits at the ready to sand those rough edges bridges the gap.

[@davidkellymitchell4747]

@@essennagerry Either format works well if you have a good microphone and preamp and a good room without standing waves. Put a heavy blanket behind you, yes behind you so your voice won't bounce off the walls and return into the live side of the mocrophone. In a cardiod pattern the front of the mic is dead and putting something in front of you will make your voice sound dead and lifeless. Put the sound absorbtion materials behind you when you sing. That one thing will make the difference between an amateur sound and a professional sound. No need to be in a dead vocal booth.

[@davidkellymitchell4747]

@@judsonsnell Some older console preamps and EQ's still work great with digital. I still use API and Neve preamps but I would be wasting time and money with analog recorders. That's horse and buggy stuff.

[@anthemmakersmusic]

We don't all get that lucky but it's going to be slick

[@creativeartsmediallc]

I'm with analog all the way....except when it comes to editing...then I transfer to DAWand back using the best analog sounding converters I can afford. Know that's cheating and I try not to make mistakes when tracking, but I have not learned how to take a razor to tape for editing. Much easier in my DAW, and plug ins are getting increasingly better

[@composerdorianbell]

This is the way for the home engineer. It's part of the progress, it's not regressive to be finishing the process in the digital domain. Guess where I listened to The Midnight Hour's album earlier - on apple music. At one point or another, the analog domain was converted to the digital domain.

[@MVVblog]

This is what I call 'recording the music'

[@melonheaded]

There's so many pro plugins or modern equipments that can emulate retro sound recording accurately in today's recording. Not sure what's the point on having those old equipments.

[@FullOfMalarky]

MelonHead emulate

[@melonheaded]

@@FullOfMalarky yea emulate what's up with it?

[@gatinha]

​@@FullOfMalarky well, sure its nice to see how original old equipment sounds compared to digital, but the same equipment led to modern software and it sounds perfectly accurate sound. I dont think anybody besides extremely hardcore nostalgia-goggly audiophiles and niche producers honestly care

[@monticulo9423]

@@melonheaded All of them lack the sub harmonic frequencies in the low end. Plus, plugins have been proven to create artificial frequencies and sounds that simply shouldn't be there. Especially in eq plugins. Hence, why a lot of producers who make retro inspired music absolutely refuse to use software equipment or the more modern, digital sounds.

[@thewitchfindergeneral4015]

Karol Bała there’s been studies tht prove the human ear can detect the difference between retro recording equipment and digital equipment trying to replicate tht sound

[@fawkkyutuu8851]

What mixing console is that big white one with the orange and blue?

[@JFSOUL]

Cool... My album was recorded analog.

[@sfundawge]

as was said here before , it's not what you have , but how you use it. listen for instance to Isao Tomita's electronic interpritations of classical compositions! truly genious. he'd surely take full advantage of today's technology if it was available way back in the 70s.

[@statichousemusic9855]

Shaheed!!! So happy to see what you are doing now. Wonderful, Bro'.

[@johnmirabile3535]

i hope you fellas make a billion dollars...I just built a studio, and went modern! BIGGGG MISTAKEEE! I am and always will be inspired by late 50s 60s and 70s soul music, im talkin' Marvin, Aretha, the REV, Sam Cooke even 60s rock and early blues! And no matter what i do, i just cant shake that fake over processed FLUFF out of my music! Every plug in is just too over saturated, it takes the pain and grit right out of the mix! SO, im ripping everything out and going to get me some valve gear! Last mix i made sounded like we were invaded by aliens! lol all the best when im in your town ill come drop some heat and show some love!

[@inxlee]

Nice but maybe they should have recorded this on tape and distributed it via mail Keeps the authenticity 😉

[@Theraulespinosa]

What a great video! Love Highland Park too!

[@RiotHomeRecording]

Beautiful.

[@off1off1]

how much money to pay to get a video commercial on CNET?

[@realiam1am]

tchad Blake and tame impala mix itb with modern/digital recording equitment. It's all up to the artist and the ears of the creators imo

[@makerKID5]

And then they distribute it digitally (compressed in a digital format)?

[@MattVorn]

Yes, but it's about summing each track in an analogue way. This means that there is no possibility for things like quantisation errors to occur during mixing and mastering, so when it is compressed in a digital format, the record will still sound cleaner, tighter and fuller bodied than the same record mixed in the box.

[@chrismitchell523]

​@@MattVorn Dithering eliminated quantization errors ages ago. This is actually the opposite of the problem. Digital is "too accurate." The problem is listener expectations, and a life time of people listening to records colored by analog equipment. It sounds "better" because we're used to it. Kids 30 years from now probably won't agree due to differing expectations. I say this in my studio surrounded by analog equipment, that I hold very near and dear to me, but you should check out what someone like Andrew Scheps has to say about the subject rather than some dude in his basement!

[@FoSkEtTcHy]

Mathieu Riesling buy the damn vinyl then... there’s a reason it’s on a cd or compressed into the internet, so people will actually listen to it

[@EmadSaedi]

I agree that analog sounds better, but music is not all about the equipment. I don't understand why he is so proud of that.

[@lakshmibrandrice2198]

How many records have you listened to...???? Hmm..??? Good equipment leads to good sound which is then manipulated and then modelled into the beautiful musical track which you listen to. Understand sir...??!!!! Do think broadely before you write something like that.

[@slademcbride3225]

Emad Saedi analog sounds different not better. Sound is subjective

[@muhammadrigapratama3754]

I think those guys talk about the quality which mean thickness, glueness, boldness of sounds that made by the analog way.

[@Ifelovv]

I get it...I really do......But unless you're gonna listen on vinyl to a record that was completely analog, meaning from tape and all hardware, there's hardly a point to it. You break the chain. The last episode of breaking bad was recorded to film (analog) and got lost so they only had enough time to do it digitally.......still is a smash. Who's the wiser? This is putting it extremely mildly, but yeah

[@cristhiantoro851]

The Image, The pictures, The movies, On digital World is OK.....BUT, THE MUSIC, ... MUST BE FOREVER ANALOGIC!! Analog Music is the REAL ART OF THE MUSIC!!!

[@S.TJohnsun-to3vc]

Need my studio natural studio & the new studio technically✍️🎵🎧

[@S.TJohnsun-to3vc]

💃♊

[@anthemmakersmusic]

I added sparkly stuff Smiling

[@anthemmakersmusic]

I still say the perfect format hasn't been found yet

[@kensmechanicalaffair]

You mean tape?

[@samuelandrade3117]

No Brasil, temos Lisciel Franco!! A lenda!

[@shpongled587]

Most people on KZbin have no idea what the difference is. They are just fine with 128kbps let alone analog quality.

[@peruface]

It’s not what you have, but how you use it son

[@rickyguitarman3839]

exactly!!

[@DJDDT]

peruface So true...and I wanna fly to Oakland just to use this studio!!!

[@thewitchfindergeneral4015]

True, but you gotta admit, analog recording does sounds better, at least in my opinion. It’s what I prefer over the squeaky cleanliness of digital recording

[@ephraimwarrior6766]

music art at its best with this kind 0f gear

[@billhannaford4488]

cool studio- I like the look too, kinda Vegas casino dealer meets Godfather?

[@davidlamie7980]

what make and model is the console, please

[@christopherjardine1506]

All the new kids think these guys are living in the past and they're not up with the times. I'm 21 and I fully agree with them. These are real musicians, professional producers. The movie industry's the same, you'll have experts like Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese, and Quentin Tarantino all advocating for film over digital cameras. It's so much better. It makes me sad where the music industry is right now, no pros anymore like the 20th century. I hope this doesn't happen to movies too.

[@josefdepovic8495]

that's my kind of guy! i remember seeing black dynamite and thinking: whoa somebody got the score right!!!

[@seeburg220]

WTF does everybody have to use a clap track or a finger snap ?

[@kensmechanicalaffair]

Its hip.

[@bksmith82]

100%, maintenance is a nightmare.

[@burtreynolds2969]

I'd rather be sitting behind all this gear than looking at a laptop with a mouse in my hand.

[@TheUniversalEyes]

Some of the best albums were recorded analog. For me, analog just sounds better. It's warmer, smoother and the clarity is far better.

[@retrogear4646]

Tape=Soul

[@schipbreukeling3]

even the clothes are analogous

[@Morenob1]

I would love to hear an electronic song that is made pure with analog hardware and eq/Master it with hardware gear. Music today has no soul anymore.

[@Peter-ff1tp]

Go listen to Dub. It is the first instance of humans using recording and editing devices to manipulate a previously existing piece of music into a new one. King Tubby, King Jammy, Lee “Scratch” Perry. That will send you in the right direction.

[@pedrockjesus]

this equipment is still manufactured or there are only the old ones??

[@SiloSoundStudios]

I've got about 30 machines still running, but I'm selling them off now. Too much effort. I love tape, done more of it than most people, but I think its over.

[@brokenguillotine6988]

This is cool

[@cristhiantoro851]

Amazing!

[@mklstardust]

Just Great!

[@OperationChicago]

Nice

[@radioengineering8247]

The human ear is an analog receptor, and we need analog sound in order to 'hear' something. A speaker is an analog reproduction device. Digital is always an approximation of analog, never a true representation. There is always some loss. Why bother taking analog sounds, converting to digital then converting back again just so we can hear it?

[@radioengineering8247]

@ReaktorLeak Where in the chain does analog lose any of the original signal? Noise and distortion in a good system are imperceptible, so are of no practical relevance.

[@griffonmicrophones5941]

magnifique !

[@paulrandomar757]

It's allowed to use own samplers, digital synthesizers or effects in this studio?

[@JohnNijland]

@paulrandomar757 people can say yes or no no to this studios, but everything is completely analog recording equipment and mixing /mastering equipment! A reminder: If you should go back into the times where people just didn’t have digital devices nowadays, would you be happier or only using digitally recorded and mixed and mastered equipment?

[@Brutuscomedy]

The irony is that tape is non-linear whereas digital is (linear).

[@vargheseantonyv.b.2265]

I always wished that if my youth was in Film age......

[@chriswang1843]

Analog tech today is more about missing the old days. The so-called "warmth" going along with it, by its nature, is a kind of distortion which can be interpreted by mathematical expressions and then recreated by digital algorithm.

[@Mogamishu]

No it is not. It is about sound and authenticity. Stick to your sterile, cold, lifeless digital algorithms and we will stick to our analog tape, and spare us your pointless negativity. Nobody is interested in your juvenile analog VS digital urination contest.

[@themooch1639]

@@Mogamishu I only take analog selfies

[@kensmechanicalaffair]

You can get close, its usually not using a real stereo bus compressor i find to be the missing sauce..in my humble opinion.

[@PeteS_1994]

I think it's more about authenticity and sounds feeling more real and a bit less artifical.

[@jgseg6828]

As hipster as it can be. The KZbin autoplay sometimes take me to strange corners of the world...

[@thedayones4918]

Maybe you are one? I dun know. What’s hipster about 70’s strat or 70’s corvette?

[@jgseg6828]

@@thedayones4918 about me, not sure, it's possible. now, about the 70s...well, everyone is free to like whatever he pleases, even vintage guitars. 🤷🏻‍♂️🤭

[@anotheryoutubed]

This is so much cap. The equipment back in the day in every studio wasnt there because it was 'the best', it was because it was some of the ONLY equipment out there to use!

[@tony714keene]

Yes Yes yes please analog yes real sounds real music real Instruments real voices real is real music Realism

[@RZA36]

RIP Phife Dawg

[@terriblecj]

Seems affordable...

[@cobraheart6003]

None of the background music sounds like tape . Maybe it is but I don’t hear any real drums

[@FullOfMalarky]

I dig it

[@themilksnatcher]

This is how music should be recorded. People in a room actually playing their instruments. Capture a performance and make decisions. Not manipulate a performance with copy and paiste.

[@Peter-ff1tp]

Dude. They do that with tape, too. It’s just much harder.

[@charlieangkor8649]

I have developed a method how to record in an analog way on a digital computer into a digital file then transmit by Internet then playback in an analog way. The digital step-like distortion is eliminated and the file size is determined by the SNR of the analog recording.

[@themooch1639]

Ah yes the Angkor Method

[@oddvlogs.]

which console is he using?

[@TS-rj6bw]

Looks like an Opamp labs maybe

[@bobbyberetta4206]

Delton T Horn🤘

[@oddbrothersproductions]

Which console is that ?

[@andytolleyvideo]

Opamp Labs

[@oddbrothersproductions]

@@andytolleyvideo thanks! i was looking into them a little bit. Theyre hard to find. Id love to pick one up

[@robison824]

Nao encontro nada assim em Massachusetts

[@Anthony-ld3vg]

So tight. Folks disagree then they hatin. Go on men with the studio that resonates for music.

[@The.Last.Guitar.Hero.]

I had Morden production, totally soulless

[@effsixteenblock50]

I love me some tape but the hyperbole is thick in this video.