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Post by Johnkenn on Jun 30, 2023 11:25:19 GMT -6
I’m finding more and more in guitar world that any software - no matter how good it sounds - always leaves me wanting more. I had an Axe FX. - it sounded great. Bought a Dream 65 and other pedals and really kinda dig them. But then I wanted some other something so I sold the pedals and was ok with ToneX…but man, I find myself just wanting the ease of twisting a few knobs and being done.
Same goes for tracking. In another thread I’m trying to justify using the UAD 1176 on the way in - and it sounds fine…but there’s something about less steps, set and forget…Am I the only one?
If I could play drums and had the room, I’d LOVE not to dick around with SD. Or it would be really nice to just record audio into the session for synth and organ. Guess I could get another computer and interface and do that…
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Post by Quint on Jun 30, 2023 11:55:16 GMT -6
I’m finding more and more in guitar world that any software - no matter how good it sounds - always leaves me wanting more. I had an Axe FX. - it sounded great. Bought a Dream 65 and other pedals and really kinda dig them. But then I wanted some other something so I sold the pedals and was ok with ToneX…but man, I find myself just wanting the ease of twisting a few knobs and being done. Same goes for tracking. In another thread I’m trying to justify using the UAD 1176 on the way in - and it sounds fine…but there’s something about less steps, set and forget…Am I the only one? If I could play drums and had the room, I’d LOVE not to dick around with SD. Or it would be really nice to just record audio into the session for synth and organ. Guess I could get another computer and interface and do that… 100%. I want knobs. I hate dicking around with menu diving and all of that. My goal in the next year or two is to nearly (>95%) completely go to using only things that have physical knobs, in ALL aspects (instruments, hardware, tracking, mixing, etc.) That applies to either analog hardware (obviously) or software controlled by a physical controller. Other things, especially hardware during tracking, are largely already set and forget for me anyway, so I completely understand why that would appeal. |
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Post by ragan on Jun 30, 2023 11:55:52 GMT -6
I’ve moved back this way in most regards. Real drums, real pedals and amps (though I’ll use the Suhr RL or Iridium to get takes, then re-amp a bunch of takes at a time later), analog synth. And hardware tracking/mixing chains, though I never left that. I just like the experience and the sounds better.
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Post by drumsound on Jun 30, 2023 11:57:26 GMT -6
I agree that in tracking having things laid out and accessible is really helpful. I still have a console and outboard and grabbing a knob, especially when going from song to song and you just need a minor change is speedy.
I feel less immediacy when I mix, and I enjoy all the little things you can do, so I mix summed on the console with hardware bus chain and occasionally outboard effects. I like to miss alone so that added time of all the things doesn't bother me because I don't feel like people are waiting on me. I do feel that on full band tracking dates, though.
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Post by longscale on Jun 30, 2023 12:07:35 GMT -6
100%. Give me the real hardware with real knobs to touch and twist. I create sounds that way. I went down the Kemper rabbit hole - and never bonded with it, and don't enjoy that interface. Give me a guitar amp with a few simple knobs. Same with software interfaces; give me the real thing and I'm happier, and faster.
I do however commit to sounds on the way in (bringing in another thread where you were asking about tracking vocals without compression). Perhaps it is more of a habit at this point. But I like to track with compression even if lightly touching it. It is part of my known signal chain - and is providing something I want for the resulting end goal sound.
BUT I will say I had a blast when I spent a few weeks in the middle of nowhere in a remote cabin with just simple gear. A Tascam 8-track portastudio a sm57, and a Royer 121. No outboard. Was a blast, and fast. Actually using the built in mics on that Tascam was quite fun too - nothing to worry about. push record. done.
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Post by Mister Chase on Jun 30, 2023 15:18:49 GMT -6
Totally knobs etc. I have tube amps but lately have been gigging and recording with my Quilter superblock US. May be solid state, but it's still knobs!
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Post by kcatthedog on Jun 30, 2023 15:33:37 GMT -6
Gimme a V for visceral, especially for tracking: lose the immediacy and your special sonic moment is gone with the wind.
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Post by antbar on Jun 30, 2023 17:45:40 GMT -6
More and more, I'm wanting tactile, "real" experiences in music. Too much time with eyes on screen and hand on mouse feels so unsatisfying and downright aggravating. I'm building a project studio at home in the basement, with drum, piano, loud guitar tracking and "lost in thought" songwriting the main aim for the space. My room upstairs has my big Mac and all my synths. I spend as much time checking out forums (like this one!) and Facebook as I do working on songs. Or, somehow worse, I spend the same time on both, because I do both at the same time. I get a decent vocal take and while checking, I'm looking at email. In the basement, I'll still have Logic handy, but the basic grunty recording will be done on a simple Tascam Model 12. It's a "pretend tape recorder," basically, for me, anyway. And, it's got knobs and buttons!
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Post by smashlord on Jun 30, 2023 22:22:50 GMT -6
A friend just gave me a '69 50W Marshall on permanent loan.... there is no amp sim that sounds like that on 8 or 9 through a quad of greenbacks! Much quicker to dial in, too.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2023 22:35:39 GMT -6
It’s all about a console or mixer. Move multiple faders at once. Use both hands on knobs. Recall makes it tough but it is superior. Control surfaces have lag. With most good sounding digital, the meters and your moves lag behind the sound eventually and freezing to automate is a buzz kill. Like old school days of having to freeze heavy plugs on old computers because they sounded so good or a sample library was killing your 32-bit memory limit
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Post by thehightenor on Jul 1, 2023 8:13:35 GMT -6
I’m finding more and more in guitar world that any software - no matter how good it sounds - always leaves me wanting more. I had an Axe FX. - it sounded great. Bought a Dream 65 and other pedals and really kinda dig them. But then I wanted some other something so I sold the pedals and was ok with ToneX…but man, I find myself just wanting the ease of twisting a few knobs and being done. Same goes for tracking. In another thread I’m trying to justify using the UAD 1176 on the way in - and it sounds fine…but there’s something about less steps, set and forget…Am I the only one? If I could play drums and had the room, I’d LOVE not to dick around with SD. Or it would be really nice to just record audio into the session for synth and organ. Guess I could get another computer and interface and do that… Omg .... you and me alike. I'd love a proper studio space with a great drumkit in it, a baby grand piano, a B4 organ, a stack of classic synth's, a Rhodes, Congas, Percussion, Marimba and most important a huge GONG!!!! I frikkin' hate virtual instruments and my E Drum kit cost me more than a real kit with great mics and pre's! I hate rubber drums, rubber pianos (VI's) I long, long, long just to play the instruments and record audio - NO LATENCY - super tight pocket and groove. I can do real bass and guitars, real hand percussion and vocals and that's it. Sure, it's great I can fit a studio and all the sounds into a loft stdio 3.5m x 4m - but it's not inspiring and it's hard to make big sounding music in a small space. |
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Post by tackhouse on Jul 1, 2023 10:31:33 GMT -6
Your mileage may vary, I find setting a Magic Trackpad configured for three-finger drag and drop to give a sufficiently knob-like feel for screen-driven knob adjustments. Place the cursor over the knob, use three fingers to push up or down, no clicking, and the knob moves. Pretty tactile.
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Post by theshea on Jul 1, 2023 12:09:52 GMT -6
knobs … hell yes. all about workflow and fun! use my x-touch all the time when doing quick raw balance mixes. especially great with multitrack drums. wouldn‘t want to go back to mouse only. i am meditating about going all in with the softube console and fader system but not shure yet if i want to restrict myself that much to softube plugins (i don‘t use UAD plugs which softube can also control).
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Post by niklas1073 on Jul 1, 2023 15:37:20 GMT -6
Yeah, and the set and forget you mentioned… most of my hardware I rarely need to tweak that much, they have found the sweet spot, I just switch them on and I am off to track, with plugins it’s never that simple for some reason, not that wide range of sweet spot. I dont even remember when I touched a knob except the bypass in and out on my 1176 last time…
but mentioning the uad dream… I was really really impressed by my pals uad ruby pedal when he got one. The sound was impressively good, and I have a serious fetish for analog guitar gear.
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Post by drbill on Jul 1, 2023 21:16:43 GMT -6
Yeah, and the set and forget you mentioned… most of my hardware I rarely need to tweak that much, they have found the sweet spot, I just switch them on and I am off to track, with plugins it’s never that simple for some reason, not that wide range of sweet spot. ^^^^. This. |
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Post by ninworks on Jul 3, 2023 7:31:39 GMT -6
I am moving back to hardware in my recording system after selling off all my outboard stuff many years ago and being totally ITB. Not necessarily because I want knobs but after much review and comparison, hardware just simply sounds better than plugins.
I have a PCM70 I bought new back in the 80's. After selling everything else I kept it because I was doing FOH sound and it was very handy to have in my rack. After retiring from FOH work it sat in an old rack in the closet for nearly 20 years. I had all the coolest and best reverb plugins so I got it out and plugged it in to make sure it still worked before I sold it. After hearing it I was amazed at how much better it sounded than my UAD 480L plugin. That and the adjustability of the parameters was so much more intuitive than the plugin. At that point I decided to incorporate it back into my recording setup.
I started going down the rabbit hole of analog mic preamps. I bought an old ISA428 and WOW, what a difference over the mic pre in my crappy old Digidesign interface. Then I bought an API A2D. That's another killer that sounded different than the ISA. I bought an RME interface. Best thing I ever did. Then I traded my vintage U89 for an API 500 series rack with 2 Purple Biz, a Great River MP-500NV, and 2 Daking Comp 500 compressors. That was a lot more spice for the sauce. I started selling things that weren't as vital to me and buying other hardware with the money. I'm getting my system refined to just how I want it after adding other hardware to it. It's in a constant stae of flux.
As for modelers, I have a couple Eleven Racks that will do anything I need from one. I have one for the studio and one for a gigging rig. A year or 2 ago I thought I would go back to amps and pedals after using modelers and outboard harware for my guitar rig for decades. I assembled a nice pedalboard but could never get anything that was acceptable as far as sound and responsiveness goes. I blame it on modelers. I sold all the pedals and bought another cheap, used 11 Rack to use for my effects only in my rig. To me, that's a great combination but most of the time I record the amps straight in and add effects later unless it's vital to the tone the amp makes.
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