Recording the... FUTURE, by George Massenberg
part 5
Warning! Personal opinions follow. Flame off!
I mixed a record several months ago that came off analog multi-track tape;
it was the first time I've worked from an analog
tape master to an analog tape mix in a long time, (about 15 years)! The
artist, Journey, and producer, (the talented Kevin Shirley), preferred to record
that way and I was working
just as an engineer, but I learned a lot from the experience. It was really
nice hearing a real hi-hat again after 15 or 16 years.
It actually sounds pretty good. C’mon guys. We know that digital is predisposed
to harshness - it is not the same listening
experience as we came to know in our hearts with analog (ignoring for the
sake of argument there are certain attractive
quantum improvements in noise elimination and media integrity). Digital
harshness and starkness are okay if what you
want is a provocative and irritating (stimulating?) sound, but that is
not the record that I'm going to put on for a spiritual
experience; I'm more likely to put on one of Doug Sax’s acoustic music
CD’s, or Gabe Wiener’s early music CD’s, or a Peter
Gabriel these days. I want something that can I can feel safe with. Doug’s
and other’s fine work and great efforts
notwithstanding, I love the lace and filigree of a virtuoso performance
and I do not believe that 16-bit/44.1khz is best in
delivering that -- although knowledgeable engineering and optimum conversion
can make a big difference.
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