Was Tape Recording Better for Musicianship? Analog vs Digital Music Production | FAQ Friday

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TIMESTAMPS
00:00 -
00:15 - Any Book recommendations?
01:05 - Any OTHER book recommendation?
01:55 - Recording Vocals without Headphones?
05:05 - Should a DAW Fix Everything?
06:35 - Does Anybody Use Tape these days?

[@Producelikeapro]

What are your thoughts on the differences between digital and tape performances? Share your thoughts below

[@Czyszy]

Tape is something many people have idealized and delusional preconceptions about. It's not a panacea that instantly adds quality to the performance or makes it instantly sound vintage. BTW to answer the video title, musicians were indeed better back in the pre-computer days. There were less of them in total, but they were generally of higher caliber.

[@b10t3rr0r]

Embrace the digital recording! There's no point in going back to tape & analog, no one really benefits from it.

[@ChiefMiddleFinger]

The performance always wins the day regardless of the recording medium. The vast majority of the listening audience doesn’t care about the nerdy stuff. I do think most music fans sense if the material is honest or contrived and don’t hear the minor mistakes like we do. My 2.5 cents.

[@ramspencer5492]

There isn't any plugin that I've ever heard that properly emulates recording on tape. I think the biggest problems are usually in the highs and in the unusual type of subtle musical compression that tape provides. Part of it seems to be aliasing. Subtle aliasing makes a big difference. And high order harmonics into the upper spectrum are a big part of the sound. Music has lost something from everything being recorded to click track. And not having more subtle timing variation.

[@chunkyericsson9038]

Id say… making a record in tape days was much more expensive, so musicians tryed to do their best for money…

[@geetarman513]

WOW! That phase cancellation trick is unbelievable Id have never thought of that...that's why Warren is the best never holds on to any secrets. Thanks man you are awesome.

[@DarrellSt.Blaine]

I’ve had great success with this trick (especially using an SM7B which has great off axis rejection). The one thing I do differently is that when I record the “rejection track” ( just the music coming from the monitors) I have the singer stay in place as reflections off of the singer can make a difference. With the singer staying in place I get a more accuracy rejection track.

[@MadACeTeeMack]

Really no secret unless you are a hobbiest

[@DrMackSplackem]

@@DarrellSt.Blaine Thanks (I was wondering about that, myself).

[@Andybaby]

I cant wait to try it!!

[@DarrellSt.Blaine]

Another thing to add is it works best if you’re only using one speaker so if you’re recording in your control room route your track playback to a single speaker and then position your vocal mic so that speaker is in the best position for off axis rejection.

[@hailmaryrecordings8255]

I’m old enough to remember home-recording with a 4-track cassette-machine. I don’t know if you had to be “better” in those days, but you definitely had to work a bit harder.

[@rickblackers88]

Thanx for the tip on recording vocal without phones.That flip the polarity thing is something else.

[@Producelikeapro]

You’re very welcome! I’m glad to be able to help

[@allendean9807]

Even though i know i can edit all day long, i will learn a track start to finish, then record, no edits. The tracks have subtle differences, even tiny imperfections, and that’s the thing I’m looking to have. I never tune my vocals. I have changed how i track vocals, as I’ve gotten older, i do verses, pre’s and choruses, numerous takes, and then use the best ones. But for instruments, I’ll track the whole song.

[@legacyShredder1]

About Warren's Book, Home Studio Recording The Complete Guide: I bought the book the day it came out to support Warren, because I believe in his mission. Having experience in this field I didn't expect to learn much, but I was wrong. He really goes in depth about multiple ways to achieve a fantastic outcome. What I think is most important about the book is that it's like a giant index for every facet of recording that you can explore inside the book as well as going into super deep detail using the internet and other sources. They showcased all of the fine points that a new person doesn't know they need to know. Not only are techniques and gear covered, but so are social and business skills. I'm certain even experienced professionals will find something useful within the pages that will justify the purchase price.

[@klavierhaltern]

That polarity switching is such a great idea! It should also work to cancel out my guitar amp's hum 💡 Thanks a lot!

[@lavalizard1]

Brilliant tip on the phase cancellation / bleed… lightbulb moment.. Cheers.

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much

[@bonafontciel]

Congratulations for your Book!

[@marktlog]

I've never heard about that trick with recording the bleed and then reversing the polarity. Genius. Of course to get it even more accurate you would a body double of the singer standing silently in front of microphone when you re-record lol.

[@ChiefMiddleFinger]

Sometimes the simple arrangements are the hardest to track, mainly because there’s nowhere to hide. Everything is exposed. Editing is your friend. Move on.

[@cms-sounddesign]

Both ! I learned on analogue systems, but then continued digitally. Today I love the combination of both worlds. My answer therefore: "Hybrid"! Each side has its strengths and weaknesses. So why not combine the strengths of both worlds.

[@JimboJones99]

The next step is "Quantum" ... You will know what I mean after the Solar Flash.

[@pedrodyck95]

I do that phase cancelling trick always for recording choirs, it works very well

[@Producelikeapro]

Yes! That’s predominantly what I’ve used it for as well

[@splashesin8]

I think more practice runs were just necessary before even putting on tape to try to get it all done as well as possible in one or two swoops. ...because high bias tape cost more than cheaper tape, and constantly reused tape.

[@ronanzann4851]

Thanks Warren......It's honestly rare these days when I hear of an audio recording technique that I'm not familiar with. I've been at this for a couple of weeks. Much appreciated.

[@colonelw.g.sparkman6931]

We are remodeling our garage this week. It’s a large three car/stall garage. Everything has been moved out into a temporary containment unit. Of course, I got the idea to build a echo chamber😂! I only have one week to pull this off before all the junk comes back in the garage. I’ll be setting up my 1972 TEAC Reel-to-Reel Tape machine with my Teleafünken condenser on one end of the garage, and a loudspeaker on the other. Can’t wait to push some dry vocals and isolated saxophone parts through that space! It may very well end up sounding like garbage, but I am SOOOOO excited to try this! And I think I’ll learn a lot in the process! Especially with microphone placement in proximity to loudspeaker, etc.❤️🔥

[@AllenPendleton]

We had to make decisions upfront and not wait to try and figure it out later in the mix. Used to bounce tracks and you had to make sure it was right at that point or you are screwed.

[@Stefan-]

I dont know, sure many are probably good enough to put down something that works to tape, but these days you dont have to be, you can edit the hell out of drums that wasnt even half decent to make them fit the grid 100% you can also do the same to other tracks and edit them in details, i mean musicians that back in the day of tape could never have a decent end result when recording could have a perfect sounding record using editing and autotune. I started recording to tape, first on a 4 track porta in the 80´s and then when i started doing serious demos and albums in the 90s it was on 24 track analog tape in a pro studio, you definately have to be able to play and sing pretty good to achieve even an acceptable result when recording to tape, and you dont when recording digital in a DAW since you have all the possbilities of editing that you dont have in the analog world. For those that want to experience it without having a tape recorder you can do the same in a DAW, just try to record the song in one go and if you screw up do a punch in and dont edit the punch in point and dont edit the actual tracks or use autotune. I love the new tech with DAWs and i use it gladly but it can certainly become a crutch also and you can loose the feel when it is all edited to hell with quantization, heavy editing and autotune.

[@walthaus]

Regarding tracking vocals without headphones: Using a Ribbon mic with a native figure -8 pattern (as opposed to a dual-diaphragm condenser switched to figure -8) will yield a textbook-linear off-axis null at 90 and 270 degrees. Placing the speakers in those null points will cut the bleed into the mic down quite dramatically if the room isn't overly reflective. The singer can hear speakers just fine, the mic cant't. It's a viable alternative to the polarity flip if the singer sounds good on a ribbon.

[@LearnWithStephen]

I am in the midst of introducing my 4-channel reel to reel into some of my audio. I think the experiment is likely to impart some special qualities, qualities that are clearly recognized by tape saturation plug-ins. We will see, wish me luck!

[@lisabethlawrence]

Good luck! I want to do the same thing!

[@LearnWithStephen]

@@lisabethlawrence I got some really great tips from Featherlite Studios. There's a channel here on KZbin. I actually got a lead on where to buy some brand-new reel-to-reel tapes! That company was ATR magnetics out of Pennsylvania.

[@Scott__C]

As far as tape, I also think especially for smaller bands with not much money, they'd come in more prepared with their songs and maybe were less open to changing arrangements etc. I've heard a couple of guys "fix" slightly off drummers with judicious use of muting, lol.

[@schoontube]

Thanks! I'm gonna check out those books and use that technique to record vocals with monitors. Great content!

[@kadiummusic]

No. Just the fact that we actually had musicians and song smiths then creating totally original pieces of art instead of the DJ's/Producers we have now who masquerade as musicians making dot-to-dot music with midi loops and samples!

[@AmiliaCaraMia]

I get what you mean but samples and midi loops are not a qualifier for bad / not real musicianship. Samples have been used for decades to back up acoustic kits (Born in the USA). And midi loops have as well (Mad World). Also, a lot of dj's and producers are very competent musicians. Music being more electronic based doesn't immediately mean that the people producing it don't know anything. BT and Imogen Heap are good examples of this.

[@PurpleMusicProductions]

I agree samples, loops AND autotune wrecked music beyond repair.

[@kadiummusic]

@@AmiliaCaraMia As the Get Back documentary demonstrated so well, when you put three or four talented musicians and songwriters in a room together with only their instruments amazing things can happen and it's no coincidence that since that stopped being the norm very few 'classics' if any have surfaced. We've got so seduced by the technology we've forgotten the human element which is the most important component. A million midi loops and a trillion sample packs will never create another Bohemian Rhapsody, that quality of song comes straight from the heart. ❣️

[@stircrazystudio815]

Thank you Warren! Your tips seem to come along at just the right time. I don't think musicians were so much better, but I think the performances were taken much more seriously because multi track tape recording time was so costly, and taped performances were difficult to edit. Digital convenience is priceless, but i've wasted so much time with digital by moving on TOO fast when tracking. I'm still learning!

[@kevgamble]

Of course, there are so many angles to this question. What I come back to is that I think pre-digital recording encouraged better things from artists. It was harder and more limiting, but what it encouraged and demanded produced a kind of greatness and resourcefulness that I don't see now. Digital, once computing power advanced far enough to make it accessible to the masses, made music production more accessible, but I don't think that what it added has supported greatness in the same way. Both in terms of the recording process itself and in what it's done to the marketplace. So yes, in one way it's a completely neutral tool, but in another way, what digital most facilitates isn't resulting in greater art, IMO. To put it another way - the Beatles experimented with every technological trick at their and George Martin's disposal, but the technology didn't do the work for them in making great art. Even their limited overdubbing still required writing, arranging and recording every sound from scratch. That resulted in something with utterly unique character. That same thing can still be done in digital, but what digital encourages is using prerecorded samples, autotune, backing tracks from other songs, quantizing, looping, etc. It's like a tap running full-on with filler, to where many people need to do very little to produce musical product - just open the tap and let the grid fill up. From the production to the market, the great art from great artists today is often swept away by the filler. Maybe I'm spoiled by growing up at a time when you could turn on the radio and hear new songs from Prince, Bowie, Queen, Tina Turner, Michael Jackson, etc., etc.

[@robgracia509]

great answers warren thank you

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much! I really appreciate it

[@johnvcougar]

I recommend Mike Stavrou’s book “Mixing With Your Mind” if you’re looking for some perspectives and ingenuity. I will be checking out your book soon, Waz!

[@GordonPavilion]

I’ll second that recommendation, “Mixing With Your Mind”… It’s a fantastic book.

[@AmiliaCaraMia]

I don't think musicians were better exactly. There just wasn't the impossible standard of having recordings be flawless. I think modern recording requires a level of perfection that's not realistic. This isn't exactly bad, there's more to quality music other than quantization or pitch correction. I would argue that musicians working at a high level work harder to play things in time now than they did before, as editing can only help so much.

[@Mister_Jahn]

This... expectations of flawlessness sanitize performance as a quantified product rather than an experience of the the experiment.

[@richardsteffens6159]

Just want to say thank you so much for that phase cancellation tip with monitors. One again proving why you're my favorite music channel on youtube :D

[@madmuso5]

The good thing about the tape era technology is that it was good enough to capture a great sound but JUST enough of a crutch that it couldn't be relied on fully like recording technology can be today. Was a good balance.

[@dale116dot7]

My home studio is on tape, 2 inch 24 track and a 2 track quarter inch half track. No DAW at all. If a band is very well rehearsed it works well. If not, the results are pretty lacklustre. One band I work with rehearses for recording for a year, they can record a decent album in a few days. I do edits by flying stuff back and forth to and from the quarter inch using a Lynx synchronizer. I switched to tape when I couldn’t get hard drives for my digital recorder any more.

[@arkarmoethouk2445]

Making music back in the day required tons of knowledge and sure wasn't easy at all. From instruments to studio gears, musicians and engineers needed to have a certain level of knowledge to do anything related to production. Might even call it as 'gatekeeping'. But these days, it has became extremely easily accessible and with social media, people have started to follow those 'shortcuts'. This resulted in a generation of so called musicians and engineers, who mostly have no idea how to play any instrument nor understand the basics of studio engineering. I mean, there are still lots of those out there who are very unique, creative and have enough knowledge for all this, But most of the top charting music today sound extremely generic and more people everyday are seemingly following that route.

[@marktlog]

I was listening to the Jimi Hendrix Experience recently and I was blown away with the way the guitar/drums/bass/vocals interacted. So few elements. So minimal compared to today's 200 overdubbed tracks. Sometimes just two bars of a drum fill. Or the guitar and bass playing the same line. Or silence, then Jimi just says 'huh' and it goes from a whisper to a roar. I think musical intelligence is different to technical ability. Not mutually exclusive of course, it's nice to have both. And that musical intelligence is a large part of this discussion about musicianship. JHE was 3 musical intelligences living in the moment and just doing what sounded good. It's impossible to recreate that with overdubbing. From my experience, it's so much harder to take things away than add something new in, so you get more and more layering. But if Jimi's playing live, and copies the bass line, he has to stop playing the chords. I think we reached a peak with 4 tracks and Sgt Pepper. Because although you could overdub, you were forced to have the basic construction of the song played live in the studio. I love recording everything myself, and playing around with it, I do it for two hours every day. People don't want to hear this, but you do have to get everything on the grid and in tune, in a way that you don't have to if its live. Live, you can just choose a melody line because it sounds good to everything else you can hear. Maybe it is out of time and tune, maybe it sounds better that way! Maybe the piano sounds better a bit out of tune, a bit more strident, it stands out more, or the vocals sharp at the right time sounds more emotional or urgent etc. But if you are layering, with a lot of tracks played to say, just the chords. 'Instrument A' may sound good with the chords a bit out of time/tune, and 'instrument B' may sound good with the chords a bit out of time/tune. But A and B won't sound good together.

[@calebbhawkins]

I think Uncle Larry said once that before there was ProTools we just had Pros. The Nashville session cats just play perfect time out of constant repetition to performing to a click all day every day.

[@Producelikeapro]

Yes, indeed! I’ve cut 5 songs in a day in Nashville many times without feeling rushed! The level of professionalism there is second to none!

[@klauth_Yksyn]

Was Tape Recording Better for Musicianship? Yes... The answer is YES! As far as your new book? Another YES! I bought the hard caver version and read it front to back, Well done sir! I recommend it to all my clients. 👍

[@Czyszy]

3:26 Warren is giving us the finger. xD

[@FernandoPerezGuitar]

I believe a “recording on tape mentality” would make better musicians these days. Players who don’t count on making many takes or having the opportunity to fix things work harder on trying to nail it in one take. Practicing more before a recording, etc. That attitude helps them improve as performers. Personally I have lots of records I made playing solo. Years ago I decided to get a field recorder instead of an interface in order to force myself to record having only one chance (not even punch in). It was a pain the behind. However my chops got way way better. Nowadays I use the interface or whatever system in the recording studio but I keep that learnt mentality. If I don’t nail it in three takes it’s just go back home and practice. It might sound radical but it is super effective. And think how happy engineers are that they can spend their time improving my sound instead of fixing things around. Cheers to y’all!

[@Dave-Rough-Diamond-Dunn]

The well timed edit at 3.35 made me laugh! 😄I guess we'll never know if it was deliberate comedic moment! 😁

[@GoodmanRecordingsTokyo]

Book ordered!! No budget, thanks visa, here's hoping it can pay itself with a little bit of my effort in 1 month's time.

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much

[@CraigHollabaugh]

I too love Emerick "Here, There and Everywhere". Many years ago, I remixed the audiobook adding in all the mentioned songs, including Judy Garland 😜. I'm picking up your book now for a young producer friend of mine. Thanks Warren.

[@rocketsauce5067]

Out of all the advice you have given I think this is best.

[@ChristopherGwinn]

Yes, in the tape era musicians were better - for the simple reason that recording was very expensive and (if you made mistakes) time consuming back then, so musicians had to be better rehearsed and have better memories when entering the studio. Also, prior to the home recording revolution, we typically only got the hear music made by the best musicians in the world (and only their best takes from the sessions).

[@mattwhite399]

When listening to music recorded to tape, you know beyond any doubt that there’s no melodyne and minimal editing. There are so many singers and players today that pull off incredible feats live, so you know they can do it in the studio too. But whenever I listen to a Freddie Mercury recording, for example, I’m awestruck because I know he really did it himself. Thinking about literally cutting tape and stitching it together… kill me.

[@Joey-rp5vg]

Fabulous faq friday.. Some interesting questions well answered. Thanks very much

[@steverok67]

Wow, I always wondered how to record vocals without headphones, and that phase cancellation method is brilliant. I'd think it would work even better if you didn't send the singer(s) out of the room, and re-recorded the bleed with the room as similar to the way it was when the vocal was recorded, i.e., with them there.

[@wiltaylor]

Reverse the polarity of the neutron flow Susan! very Dr. Who!! :)

[@Producelikeapro]

Haha yes, indeed

[@Dave-Rough-Diamond-Dunn]

I'd wish I'd known that phase flipping trick earlier! I recorded a scratch vox track on a dynamic mic, while sitting at my desk with the speakers down low. Working with that track, I got quite used to it, and it had a great, relaxed feel to it that really suited the song. However, when I started processing it, something was off about the song, seemingly with the drums, maybe the bass. Even though I'd used a gate, the drums and bass I'd tracked to were coming through the vocal, slightly out of sync, once serial and parallel compression and limiting were applied. It was barely audible, I could feel it more on a subconscious level than being able to actually hear it, but the vocal just wouldn't sit right. The phase flip idea would have saved the day! I ended up tracking it again, but I just was never as relaxed as I was that night, sitting recording a scratch vox after a few beers so I could start work on a new song (that I wrote in 1989, and sang at my wedding in 1991!😁).

[@richardstartin4656]

Safe trip to the UK fella. Heading back there from Oz this week for session work. 23hrs……..

[@sleepisoptional]

there is something to be said about only having one track to get it right vs unlimited virtual tracks. or having to print over an okay vocal to try to get a better one. the pressure and limitations can raise a performance

[@fetusbelt6851]

Limiting takes captures more raw variations and deviations of a performance and the synergy of those novelties naturally exploit themselves as "magic".

[@riddellthomas2185]

There's a really good book called behind the glass.. loads of top producers are interviewed in it.. the phase trick# I've got to try it as I've been recording without headphones.. thanks✌🏽

[@ItsMe-gw4kb]

As a non-producer of music, I feel that analog recordings can't be described (by me) as superior to digital. I'd like to try my hand at producing some music someday, and if I do, it will likely be based on my art. Without writing a book, I prefer vinyl pressings over cds. I'd even listen to an 8-track, but not over a cassette or album. As a whole, I agree with the one who posted the bit about digital vs. analog being irrelevant to the feeling put into the music. Bohemian Rhapsody is a prime example of analog with layering and amazing lyrics that stands the test of time. To be continued.

[@yzforfun]

Remove the fail safes, record like you mean it! So totally missing these days.

[@busywl69]

No doubt the Tape era was the best for a lot of reasons when it comes to musicians and artists.

[@kkamelsolo]

I see it like someone piloting a drone vs someone flying a plane. I have got a lot drones

[@NominalTopic]

This was fantastic! Agree. All counts. Bravo.

[@nickdryad]

5:13 I think this reveres to quantising, auto tune and pitch correction. Those technologies weren’t that common particularly in low cost studios in the analog days. Punching in was easy enough. Even on DAT. Think about the lazy home studio approach where notes out of tune can be repaired so quickly.

[@Studio-dl9yx]

По-прежнему благодарю вас за информацию! СПАСИБО! С приветом из РОССИИ, Челябинск!

[@neilkendall5499]

I have a question about the technique you use to flip the polarity to get rid of mic bleed. So you record the lead vocal on one track (while monitoring through headphones). What exactly do you record onto the second track - is it just the music (without any vocals), or is it the music AND the vocal track you've just recorded? You record this with the same mic used to record the vocals, then flip the polarity of the newly recorded track and then blend that together with the vocal track? It sounds like a great idea. I wonder if this can be done with other instruments recorded with mics too, such as drums too, not just vocals. Could be useful for getting rid of mic bleed from live recordings, for example.

[@stupendousmusic4190]

👋🏻Hi Warren: Could you please do a video demonstrating the vocal recording technique in this video?

[@jeremythornton433]

I record in my home studio. It's a nice little place but I record as if I'm going to tape. I always have. The reason? I never bothered learning how to properly edit. It might be laziness or it might be simply that I'm trying to always get the best performance.

[@jorgepeterbarton]

"capturing the moment" certainly could be lost today. Its not necessarily a technique or performance but some kind of emotional exlerience, right? Well how much of that do we try to put back in with plugins these days, when it used to be...there. perhaps we didn't have to concentrate on much else, and we can be rehearsed enough so that focus on the expression. Also, in the past maybe there wasn't an ideal of a dead room with no bleed. Natural ambience and bleed i believe adds more magic and warmth than preamps and tube or tape saturation.

[@Art_Of_Sound]

YES!

[@homestudioacademy]

Your book is amazing! I wish I had that back when I got started 15 years ago… how much time and $$$ I would have saved.

[@johnvalther]

Just bought your book, it is my new Bible 😂

[@Producelikeapro]

Wow!! Thanks ever so much

[@firesoulrocker]

With my husband he does home remastering and re imaginative albums. Here's a question! If john lennon had 1980 Double Fantasy as a only john songs. How would it flow with whats released 14 songs . 😮

[@onoesmurlocs]

AI can be used to separate instruments and vocals from tracks, it currently not good , but its getting better fast ,that could be option for using monitors and removing the vocals after. lalala AI is one current I know of. tracking guitar and vocal performance then separating them after could be a huge deal for recorder singer songwriters types.

[@ColdGrayMorning]

But recording vocal with monitors - is it posible only with dynamic microphone?

[@郭卉瀚]

It’s so hard to buy the book in China!

[@Ryan_Messenger]

I learned something new. Thank you.

[@Shawneverette]

When will the audio version of the book be out?

[@CLaw-tb5gg]

Wow. I feel incredibly self-conscious recording vocals with headphones so I tend to give far worse performances, so that's something I'll most definitely have to try.

[@amindfulmeditation9614]

The short answer is yes and no. Kapish?

[@nitehike]

i bet that cancellation trick works ever-so-slightly better if you make the singer stand there while you record the bleed-only track. and if it doesn’t work better, at least you’ve punished the singer for being a primaddona.

[@mikesparks3398]

Hey Warren, what are your thoughts on Atmos, and will your studio mix in Atmos?….seems like a way to put us little guys out of businesses.

[@aleksamrkela831]

Analog hardware is great, but tape is one thing I would never consider coming back to. :P

[@Abaddon231]

Honestly, digital made me a lazy player ... When i used my fostex 4 track , i had to play the whole track , and of i screwed up ,it was a retake .. Then i discovered Cool edit pro , and realized i only jad to get the riff right once and loop ...it was quick easy and painless, but it really effected my playing and accuracy .

[@jthompson5341]

The simple answer, YES! Also, Bands were Better, albums Meant More, and new stuff done to digital is mostly all Crap! Sorry. But we older fans all know it’s true 😄

[@ResidentRob]

DAWs can be used or misused, they are time saving tools. My band tracks the drums and the producer cleans it up then we do the bass/guitars live over it, we punch in same as if it was tape of live etc Even when recording with tape musicians/producers cheated, it was different cheating.

[@frankpratte8358]

Musician's better back when? I give you Matteo Mancuso and Jacob Collier... Hard to find anyone better than them at what they do.

[@OurgasmComrade]

There's a difference between virtuosos and musicians that can communicate universal and lasting emotion in their playing and songwriting (i.e. not the latest fads). It's very rare for the two to overlap and the tendency to overcomplicate things for the sake of complexity itself is high in our modern world. The secret is using modern technology with timeless/classic principles in writing and composition that the legends from decades ago used.

[@jan_07]

Don’t confuse better technical superiority versus better musicianship. Mancuso is good technically, but he’s not a musical genius who’s better than the older generations, stop the cap 😂. So is Collier, the guy’s music is so weird just for the sake of being “different” just because he has golden ears. But musically better than the older generations? Debatable

[@PreacherAtArrakeen]

Without having watched the video yet, I'd say multitracking with punch-ins weakened me as a musician. Period. When I began with ping-ponging in a galaxy far, far away, everything had to be right throughout the entire take, and it wouldn't just be sitting at a keyboard or a guitar, there'd be singing, etc.

[@SmindloMindlo]

When access to recording time was still limited , artist made sure that when they made the recoding date , everything was on point. You would get alternate takes just to try capture the best mood . . . . but the performance was locked in. Today we have engineers that encourage fixing things in the mix , because "engineers" want to be part of the creative process. You will also notice some of the great artists of the past don't make records anymore . . . . technology has created access for everyone, but it has also diluted the process. And unfortunately , the art of making great records has become irrelevant. No book or online course can recreate, the process that allowed all those involved in making great records of the past. The process got lost.

[@MadACeTeeMack]

Analog is always better

[@dannydaniel8975]

The question should be....was tape better for musicians?

[@Producelikeapro]

That’s pretty much the same thing! Musicianship/musicians. At least in my mind! Whatever gets the best results for the musician is best for the musician wouldn’t you think?

[@LilYeshua]

The musical equivalent of Glamour Shots where they took pictures of your sweetie with cheesecloth over the camera lens?

[@1rwjwith]

No they were not (or should I say I was not) BETTER MUSICIANS having to record to tape BUT you could not get away with playing one verse or chorus or bridge right and then looping it via cut and paste editing! That kind of cut and paste takes all the feel and uniqueness out of records for sure in my opinion. Digital has been the medium for a long time but it can be used just as a medium to capture performance just like tape…it’s when all the fixing and cut and pasting goes on it becomes a problem for me…It just should not be overused! I am not against fixing the occasional note etc…but quantizing NO! Play the song!

[@TheTonylopezband]

Unfortunately the money is not there so more people are not pursuing music for this reason alone or at least the illusion of making it by getting a record deal😕 but we need to keep faith 🙏 regardless 😀but everything changes and we need to adapt 😂

[@donharrold1375]

I don’t think there was any real doubt. They were infinitely better. Are the records better sounding? That’s the real question.

[@909sickle]

Tape forced you to be a better musician. Now you have to force yourself. A lot of the greatness of past music was by accident or circumstance. For example, in the 60s, musicians still thought the general public liked good music and tried to make songs as musically good as possible. Now, it's a game of production. Most people don't care about originality or foundational truths. They just want lyrics they identify with, a simple beat, and all the studio tricks you can cram on a track. If you released "Yesterday" or "Come Together" today, it wouldn't chart. If you released the latest pop hits of today in the 60s, they would have pushed the Beatles off the charts. We'll never see great music again, or we'll only see fleeting sparks of it, until someone is born who enjoys enduring a lot of pain. Or until the inevitable soul-less AI model is built that writes and produces music better than any human can and can simulate authenticity, truth, and innovation better than any human.

[@Asgaia]

You did not mention the book of Ethan Winer. Would like also an interview with him regarding room acoustics.

[@koolpfanski]

I've been taught that; you are never, wanting to say the word "no". On tape.... [What do you think of that?]

[@riffmondo9733]

Musicians definitely were out of necessity.

[@chetleonard169]

Answer: yes, when recording was an expensive venture, it separated the wheat from the chaff. Now that it's cheap, we get the music we deserve.

[@AmiliaCaraMia]

I think we get poorer quality music because more people can showcase it online. The random garage band of the 70's was largely going unnoticed back then. The cheaper recording tech is great because it allows for people without connections / money to start writing on their own merit. Though, most musicians stand for being in a band. They have nothing to say and ultimately produce tepid music. I mean how many Dancing Queen's or Kashmir's do we have? 2 and for good reason.

[@loublacksail1995]

Halfway through the video and I still haven't heard anything about the actual topic you mentioned as the title. You skip around talking about studio tricks, selling books, etc. Its a 10 minute video, and half of its lost without touching on your topic.

[@user-xm3qu3mp4p]

You can never go back, only move forward. Look ahead and embrace it.

[@EclecticHillbilly]

Just because you aren't going back it doesn't mean you're going forward.

[@onelessvulture3288]

I actually lived with Andy Johns for a few years and he gave me that Geoff Emerick book to read. Great book!