The Best Tool for the Job: A Discussion of Analog and Digital Recording Techniques Nathan Scholz [email protected] ABSTRACT the job. Analog gear has largely just become a new tool in an engineer’s arsenal for creating music and art. This article discusses various aspects in the recording industry debate of analog versus digital 2. LITERATURE REVIEW recording techniques. It specifically examines why engineers still choose to produce recordings on analog One of most highly contested areas in the analog tape, the rise and popularity of emulation plug-ins, the versus digital debate is on the use of analog tape. While nature of analog equipment, and the impact of the artists “So is Analog dead Yet” discusses reactions to the last vision and consumers desires. Research came from producer of recording tape filing for bankruptcy in 2005, various articles of experiments with analog equipment, their bleak outlook has largely been unfulfilled. While discussions of specific engineer’s mixing philosophies, there has been a shift towards a wider use of digital and overall discussions of how different pieces of (especially as a storage medium), analog tape has persisted equipment work. The article concludes that ultimately in studios for artists desiring a vintage sound. There is also Engineers choices and preferences on what sounds the a large faction of engineers who still use analog tape for best ultimately determines what gear they use on a project, final mixes, as discussed in Brown. While engineers like and that they are largely unaffected by external influences. Gustavo Celis still prefer to bounce their final mixes to However, there is a marked shift in the use of analog tape, they do this out of a desire to achieve a certain sound equipment as a stylistic choice and not a technical and not because of a technological necessity for quality. necessity in the production of recordings. Anderton and Robojons expand on these concepts in their articles on incorporating tape and analog equipment into a studio. While Anderton focuses specifically on home 1. INTRODUCTION studio use and why analog tape might not be the best idea Most professionals in the audio engineering field for recording hobbyists and home-studios due to the would say that we are currently experiencing a “golden required knowledge of tape machines and possible upkeep age” for music production. Even in the last ten years there of vintage tape machines, Robojons provides a wealth of has been a dramatic drop in the cost of quality equipment, information on the reasons engineers like to use tape, from microphones, to recording interfaces/mixers, and specifically discussing the audible harmonic distortion even to digital plug ins and free DAWS such as Garage analog tape produces in recordings. He describes this Band. However, with all of these advancements in digital distortion as the “warmth” that so many engineers say that recording techniques, analog processes and equipment are tape provides. The biggest dissenting opinion on analog still prevalent in almost all professional recording studios. tape comes from Stuhl. In his article on “analog fetishism,” This article explores some analog recording techniques he argues how the public has affected the recording that still persist in the digital era and explores the opinions processes with the “vintage obsession” of vinyl, tapes, and of many engineers on these processes. other pieces of analog gear. He concludes that because the One of the biggest questions that this research set general public is more concerned with “vintage” and the out to answer is why analog processes and equipment “lo-fi” sound that tape provides that engineers and persist in the digital recording era when most of these amateurs alike are buying and using tape because they pieces of gear are considered obsolete technology. While think that simply by using it they will get the sound that most of the general public and even some artists would say they want. All of the articles still support that fact that that analog gear is “better” than digital for superficial, in engineers are no longer focused on using analog tape as a reality almost any professional audio engineer will choose necessity, but that they are using it as a stylistic choice. what processes they use for any given project because of While most engineers would argue that analog the desirable sounds that they produce. While the public equipment is a great tool to enhance mixes, buying ten has become obsessed with the aesthetic that “vintage” 1176 compressors, for example, is incredibly expensive represents, the audio engineering community has remained and takes up a lot of space in your studio. This is where grounded in the ideals of using the best sounding tools for emulation plug-ins have become almost a new standard for engineers. Brown discusses this in her article on tape, new SSL Duality console for use in their audio programs. specifically how engineers praise the UAD tape emulation The article helps to give an overview of new large format plug-ins of the Studer A 800 and ATR-102. Engineer Matt mixing consoles that are being designed for use in modern Shane claims that the plug-in “seems to be the best one “hybrid” studios with digital recording and DAW’s at the I’ve used for straight up tape emulation,” while Chris center. Houghton’s article from Sound on Sound explores Coady states that most plug-ins “sounded good, but didn’t other options within the concept of creating a “hybrid sound like tape.” Coady further remarks that most plug-ins studio” that uses a blend of digital and analog equipment now do just as good of a job of emulating the actual sound and recording techniques. Houghton discusses the use of of tape machines, and he uses them in conjunction with various pieces of hardware and outboard devices in a actual tape regularly. In recording an album in many digitally based studio, concluding that different pieces of studios, Coady states, where some were tracked to tape, a equipment work best for different studios, depending on tape emulation plug-in can be handy in making a track what type of workflow the engineer wishes to have. recorded digitally blend in with the tracks recorded to tape. Another example of a “hybrid studio” technique is Ciletti’s article delves into comparisons between emulation explored in Chris Este’s article on CLASP systems. While plug-ins of API, dbx, and Neve devices, and concludes that his article is biased because he is the creator of the same plug-ins largely sound close to hardware devices but technology that the article discusses, his technology usually do not react in the exact same manner. Anderton represents a new advancement in the integration of real does a similar comparison in his article “Next Generation tape machines in a digital based studio. Plug-ins” but approaches the idea from the concept that While most of the different areas of contention in newer emulations are expanding on the original concepts the analog versus digital debate come to conclusion that to help engineers spend more time creating music and less neither analog or digital is necessarily a better or worse time tweaking settings to get the exact sound you want, method of working for a particular project, there are still giving in depth reviews of what he likes about various different reasons why people choose to use analog gear. emulation plug ins. Robojons also briefly discusses For many, it is based on the stylistic choices that engineers emulation style plug-ins indirectly in his article, but states and producers make with artists to create a certain kind of in his article that the best way to get the sound of a piece of sound. Robojon discusses the philosophy that analog gear analog equipment is to use the analog equipment. While can create warmth in a recording. Anderton reinforces this opinions on emulation plug-ins vary, the pattern of with his argument against tape machines - they can seem engineers choosing one for any given situation is again like a nice addition to a home studio but that in reality the based on preference and the needs of the specific project. upkeep can outweigh the benefits. In Another major area of contention in the analog Shimonski/Anderton’s article, the idea of integrating versus digital debate concerns the actual type and use of analog gear with a digitally recorded project is based analog gear in a project in general. Whether it is a large almost entirely on getting the sounds that the engineer format analog mixing console or simply analog summing wants for a recording, and that there is no right or wrong converters for an audio interface, engineers have differing method or amount of gear to use (or not use). Another opinions and methods for use in studios. Merton explores concept that is prevalent is that analog gear is simply the changes in sound between different types of analog cooler to use for a project than recording digitally. Stuhl summing mixers, which some engineers claim are essential discusses this concept when discussing his concepts of “lo- to make a mix sound “lively” and to combat the sterility of fi” and consumers attitudes to the recording world. While digital mixes. He concluded that the differences between a all engineers have different preferences, the biggest mix summed digital and a mix summed through any constant is that it is ultimately up to the engineer and artist analog summing mixer are largely only noticeable to other to decide what works and sounds the best for their project, audio engineers and are not likely to impact any given mix and any technique when used properly can be the right in a major way.