Thanks, Les. I will have to look those up. In the IT world, there's a sort of truism that everybody uses Microsoft Word, and most people use less than 10% of its capabilities. That's how I feel with Logic (and ProTools, to a degree).
I got into home recording with a Tascam cassette recorder (four whole tracks!), then moved to a Roland VS-1880. When I finally made the move to a computer-based DAW, I started with ProTools and I got decent with it. Nowhere near expert, to be sure, but I got pretty quick and could do some things pretty automatically. (Contrast that w/the VS-1880, where there were things I swear I had to relearn every time I did them because they didn't work the same each time.) Thanks to you (Les) and Sergio, I started using Logic as well, and it's become my primary DAW - it doesn't seem to stress my older computer as much - but I still feel faster on ProTools. I know I'm using probably under 10% of what it can do, and I don't think I've yet made a recording that sounds as good as the last thing I did on ProTools, but that could be my imagination. It does seem to work more smoothly than ProTools these days, but I haven't cut that cord yet.
Yet.
My first multitrack was a Tascam one-inch tape MS16 open-reel machine; I think it sounded great and was very heavy duty, but then I added three DA88s and a Roland DM-80 eight track hard disk recorder with fader pack and remote. They were all synced together with SMPTE time code, and I ran them with a Sony U-matic video deck in synch. That let me run 48 tracks, eight digitally editable, plus picture. My second console was bought around then, too, a 64 input board. I was in hog heaven in 1992, or whenever that was!! My mastering decks were a Fostex open reel with time code center channel, and a Panasonic DAT that was the pro audio cat’s meow at the time. Unfortunately, the Panasonic fell apart and I threw it out. It was junk. But by then CD-Rs were the vogue.
I’ve listened to some of my old analog tracks, and I’ve never made better sounding recordings digitally. BUT, I’ve worked a lot faster, and these days that’s important. As an example, I’m now chasing the eighth picture edit on an ad track in the last week. If I was all-analog still, it would be an impossible situation trying to meet deadlines.
Slowly I sold that hardware off, and probably blew some the dough on guitars I no longer have, some on my kids’ college tuition, and who knows what happened to the rest.
Things I wish I’d kept:
- My console. It was mint 16 years later when I sold it, and everything worked.
- My MS16. It was built like a tank. In fact, it more or less looked like a tank, and weighed what a tank weighs. I still like the sound of tape. My Fostex. Some analog synths.
With DAWs, I’m conversant on pro tools, but don’t like its interface much. I’m good on digital performer and now operate best on Logic Pro. But for me, they’re all much alike.
Lots of folks in my line of work use both Logic for composing, and Pro Tools for mixing. That kinda makes very little sense to me, but I’m not making Hollywood movies. In ad world, it’s overkill.
As I’ve posted here recently, I’m acquiring a few choice analog pieces, mostly for the front end before hitting the DAW, like mic preamps, a good compressor, etc., because I’m genuinely dissatisfied with digital front end equipment, and I use the good stuff. But they’re just different sounding. I’m not saying digital is inferior. I simply like the old sound more.
