This guy does:
And this coming from someone who has mixed on digital and analog boards, and still has no computer in his studio. ;-)
I specifically bought an SSL bus comp (a Radioman clone, mind you... I do have an original Urei 1178 tho'
) for that cohesiveness and 'glue'.
That thing instantly can elevate a decent, if somewhat 'demo' sounding mix to something that sounds more radio-ready.
FWIW, my recording medium is an Alesis HD24XR and my current desk is an Allen & Heath GS-R24.
Best of both worlds. Analog signal paths, ADAT interface.
And if I want, I could mix to this guy:
View attachment 146710
For that nay-sayer claiming that tape doesn't add shit, I disagree. And for the sole reason that running quality tape in the red (on a quality deck) adds harmonic compression, that sounds pleasing to most for most music genres other than classical.
Hell, I even tested this myself with recording a low/medium bitrate mp3 (128 or 160kbps) to a mini disc recorder (which adds its own ATRAC compression) and then I hooked the minidisc device up to the Philips RTR and recorded it around +3dB. It came out sounding better than how the mp3 started!
So dismissing tape altogether, just because you don't use it is as narrow-minded as dismissing others for shit they haven't used themselves.
I started recording on multi track tapedecks in the mid 90's, when sure, things sounded like shit. And then moved on to digital all-in-one machines with instant gratification. My biggest 'secret': I was never recording super hot on digital. Around -12dBFS to -10dBFS per track. So, after summing, I still had plenty headroom and things sounded good and open; not congested, busy, distorted, like so many falling for the loudness wars-trap.
And now I use a hybrid-setup. As I acquired a simple RME Digiface USB recently, I do expect to someday connect the desk with 4 ADAT lines directly to a PC, do the tracking ITB (maybe with a few plug-ins) and then still use my analog outboard gear as well.
Agreed.