N00b Question: why out of the box mixing?

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signorMars
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Post by signorMars » Sun May 16, 2010 7:04 am

AnalogousGumdropDecoder wrote:
They both have their uses. If you want your music to sound high tech and modern, and you want every instrument to be discernible with as much clarity and detail as possible, digital (ITB) is the way to go. It's also very easy to edit with and tweak a million different aspects of the sound. Plugins are a blast to work with. However digital sound can definitely sound shrill and hurt your ears if you listen to it for a long time and/or at high volume. That being said, digital recording has come a LONG way since the 80's. Even though I'm a vinyl junkie, I have to admit new CD's sound really good.

If you value old-school fuzzy sounds with a lot of humanity and character, analog (OTB) is for you. It's harder to edit when recording to tape, and analog gear is definitely quirky so you won't get "perfect" accurate undistorted tracks. What you'll be getting here is a sound that's better for the whole track meshing together (possibly at the expense of the clarity of the individual instruments). Analog also sounds good at high volume and is less fatiguing to the ear. That doesn't necessarily mean it causes less hearing damage though if you're abusing your ears. Mixing OTB can also open you up more to more interactive mixing techniques (such as dub mixing).

Again. They're both great and have their uses. I think mixing the two creatively can give you the most flexibility and the perks of both methods.
I think this is oversimplifying though. There are tons of INCREDIBLY detailed and clear records made exclusively on analog. Personally I think that, at this point, the main question is really workflow. How are you more creative and effective? Do you get better sounds ITB? Stick with that. It'll save you a bunch of space and (maybe) money. Sound better OTB? Enjoy all the pretty gear. I find OTB more intuitive for me, but then I mix mostly ITB right now for cost reasons.
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joel hamilton
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Post by joel hamilton » Sun May 16, 2010 3:32 pm

This is not a response to anything but the fact that this thread exists, at all.

I really like fresh vegetables. A lot.
[yawn]
I also like to go swimming sometimes, when it is warm out, or I am in a warmer climate.
[yawn]
[yawn]
*sleeping*

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