If you think you can escape GAS by becoming anything other than a guitar player , think again . In our tireless and endless quest for the perfect sound or tone , we can find ourselves in places very far from the familiar , or right back into our own backyard . Unfortunately for my back account , I long ago expanded beyond the confines of the six strings many of us know and call home , into the unknown alien terrains of pro sound . The goal : wanting to know more about how to get the sound I heard in my room “ on tape ” as they say .
The demand for analog equipment in all mediums is exploding . I have always known and believed this , but I think it really hit me when I saw record players and vinyl records for sale at Bed , Bath and Beyond . A completely analog music medium that is technically “ inferior ” to digital formats is being embraced by the world at large , which is relatively unprecedented in today ’ s world . According to David Sax , the author of The Revenge Of Analog ( ISBN : 9781610395717 ) we are surrounded by digital and “… we now crave experiences that are tactile and human-centric . We want to interact with goods and services with all our senses , and many of us are willing to pay a premium to do so , even if it is more cumbersome and costly than its digital equivalent … its [ analog ’ s ] inherent inefficiency grows coveted , it ’ s weakness becomes a renewed strength .” ( Sax , Page xvi )
The wide world of pro audio is as daunting as ever nowadays , and like in the guitar world , the return to and demand for analog equipment has skyrocketed in the past few years . Once considered large , inefficient and un-transparent , the behemoth analog consoles by API and Neve that are now revered beyond reasonable measure , couldn ’ t be given away during the digital boom of the mid- ‘ 80s . The reason for their resurgence isn ’ t just nostalgia for the records produced with those legendary consoles , but of a return to a fully-tactile , physical experience in today ’ s increasingly emulated world .
Part of what makes this old “ obsolete ” gear sound so good , is that our ears enjoy the way the analog equipment colors the sound . It responds to transients and attack differently , and it adds a mild harmonic saturation to everything that makes our ears happy . While digital recordings do sound more accurate , the “ vibe ” and “ warmth ” of an analog recording is more pleasant to our ears , because for some reason our ears perceive that extra harmonic saturation that only transistors , resistors , diodes , capacitors , and tubes impart as sounding better . There is no definitive reason for why this is , but many audiophiles assume that the frequencies we have grown to prefer over others , are a product of both evolution and the natural frequency response of our ears .
Thankfully , with the rate of technological progress , companies and manufacturers
If you think you can escape GAS by becoming anything other than a guitar player , think again . In our tireless and endless quest for the perfect sound or tone , we can find ourselves in places very far from the familiar , or right back into our own backyard . Unfortunately for my back account , I long ago expanded beyond the confines of the six strings many of us know and call home , into the unknown alien terrains of pro sound . The goal : wanting to know more about how to get the sound I heard in my room “ on tape ” as they say .
The demand for analog equipment in all mediums is exploding . I have always known and believed this , but I think it really hit me when I saw record players and vinyl records for sale at Bed , Bath and Beyond . A completely analog music medium that is technically “ inferior ” to digital formats is being embraced by the world at large , which is relatively unprecedented in today ’ s world . According to David Sax , the author of The Revenge Of Analog ( ISBN : 9781610395717 ) we are surrounded by digital and “… we now crave experiences that are tactile and human-centric . We want to interact with goods and services with all our senses , and many of us are willing to pay a premium to do so , even if it is more cumbersome and costly than its digital equivalent … its [ analog ’ s ] inherent inefficiency grows coveted , it ’ s weakness becomes a renewed strength .” ( Sax , Page xvi )
The wide world of pro audio is as daunting as ever nowadays , and like in the guitar world , the return to and demand for analog equipment has skyrocketed in the past few years . Once considered large , inefficient and un-transparent , the behemoth analog consoles by API and Neve that are now revered beyond reasonable measure , couldn ’ t be given away during the digital boom of the mid- ‘ 80s . The reason for their resurgence isn ’ t just nostalgia for the records produced with those legendary consoles , but of a return to a fully-tactile , physical experience in today ’ s increasingly emulated world .
Part of what makes this old “ obsolete ” gear sound so good , is that our ears enjoy the way the analog equipment colors the sound . It responds to transients and attack differently , and it adds a mild harmonic saturation to everything that makes our ears happy . While digital recordings do sound more accurate , the “ vibe ” and “ warmth ” of an analog recording is more pleasant to our ears , because for some reason our ears perceive that extra harmonic saturation that only transistors , resistors , diodes , capacitors , and tubes impart as sounding better . There is no definitive reason for why this is , but many audiophiles assume that the frequencies we have grown to prefer over others , are a product of both evolution and the natural frequency response of our ears .
Thankfully , with the rate of technological progress , companies and manufacturers