Post by johneppstein on Sept 3, 2019 14:57:21 GMT -6
I’m not sure. After listening back more last night, the difference between split vs not split is no greater or less than the difference between two takes. I can’t even be sure to credit any difference to the split over the difference in takes.
So, I guess my takeaway is, not a big deal, but cool to compare preamps that way. Though best practice is to make a decision upfront before serious tracking.
But I had a crazy "come to jesus" moment when I lost track of which track was which and I could no longer pick out which setup was which.. Even though some of the tracks were vastly different in positioning or mic/pre choice, etc..
That's when I felt defeated, but also enlightened, that most of these A/B comparisons are little more that studies in futility, and that once you reach a point of "good enough" or you find a combination that "works", there is very little else to learn or try of any value and that most of these vast comparisons really just come down to mic positioning and I've personally been shooting myself in the foot all those years only caring about the gear and not even considering that anything else might matter MORE than the gear.
Now I believe that once you reach a certain level of gear, nothing matters more than the application of the gear, rather than the gear itself. Mic positioning, singer positioning, amp settings, etc, all seem to make larger differences to me than which mic or preamp I use.
I believe that's what's called an "epiphany".
And, as with all things it shouldn't be overdone. However it does tie in nicely with the old timer attitude of "I just use the preamps in the console and don't worry about it."