AudioBanter.com - View Single Post - I'm going to punt my VS-1680 - give me a recommendation on my next system

In article writes:

Yeah, but some of these machines can be a bear at times. They can eat your
wallet if things break. Keep in mind I'm not saying it's a bad idea, though.

Thing is that other than routine maintenance like cleaning and
alignment (which only costs time, and not a lot once you have all the
tools and know where all the adjustments are located) you only fix
them when they break. With computers, we're constantly "breaking" them
with updates, and spending money on software upgrades, plug-ins, and
the like. We do this because it's necessary in order to maintain
supportability for the system.

I think the "warm analog sound" is overrated. Nothing beats a good mic on a
good source with good electronics in the signal path.

I agree. But it's hard to change opinions with common sense.

An analog tape machine never stopped anyone from adding too many parts :-)

In theory, no, but after the first bounce people start worrying about
generation loss. It's a powerful deterrent to anyone who wants to
"make professional recordings of my music at home" but it's also a
powerful tool for those willing to learn how much they can get away
with.

I was thinking of having actual controls (even though there aren't enough
knobs for me) and taking some of the load off the CPU, but the automation
angle is a good point. I find that with a computer feeding tracks to the
console, I have to use less automation because I have so much control in the
computer.

The big advantage of the console in this situation is that you have
instant storage and instant recall of static conditions without a lot
of fooling around. For people who work on a dozen projects at once,
most of which take a year or more to complete, it's easy to call up a
snapshot and have all your routing, basic EQ, and monitoring set up
right on the console. When it comes to things like smoothing out level
within a track, or goosing up a swallowed syllable or note, doing this
on the computer rather than letting the console bump a fader every
pass is almost certainly quicker and may also be more accurate.

But when it comes to just pushing up the faders and getting a rough
mix using your ears and musical talent, nothing beats a console. You
can "normalize" that mix, store it as a snapshot, and then start
tweaking on the computer. If there's a smooth fader ride that you find
works well, you can do that on the console and have it remembered. Or
if you have the console set up to control levels in the computer, you
can do that and have the computer remember it. However that usually
means having to move over to the computer and push some buttons or
select some items from a menu, and that may break your workflow at the
console.

--
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