Post-2010 rock albums recorded using only analog equiptment

1. Foo Fighters - Wasting Light
2. The Thermals - Personal Life

what a disaster for analog equipment

otm

electric wizard's new album didn't come out in the USA until January so I guess that counts

2010 counts for the purposes of this thread

The singles from that Foos record are shockingly not terrible, kinda curious to hear the rest. That Thermals record is really dull, though.

There is far worse new music in the world than the new Foo Fighters record.

the saying "it's not what you use, its how you use it" comes to mind

ok then whiney
3. Electric Wizard - Black Masses

4. pretty much anything involving Jack White (eg new Wanda Jackson album)

the new sharon jones record, probably that most recent budos band record

black keys

more like Foo Fighters - Wasting Analog Equipment, amirite?

"There is far worse new music in the world than the new Foo Fighters record."

i'm not so sure...

(although i'll bet that there's a computer somewhere in the chain for all of these, if just for editing)

i was reading the jack white interview in the new tape op last night, which is why i thought of him, and he was talking about his home studio and how there are no computers involved anywhere, not even to back things up, because he thinks just having a computer there would lead to temptation to use it for shortcuts. but then he talks about how his engineer buddy has to lug over his computer gear to his studio to back things up on to protools just in case and then take his computer gear away with him. seems like they could have a computer there but just put a password on it or something.

Pretty sure T-Bone Burnett claims he never uses anything digital or "artificial" in his studios, from equipment to instruments. Lately, at least.

that jack white thing is just fucking ridiculous. he's gonna get all tainted by the slinky charms of a macbook or something.

New bottomless pit

Mother of fire

feel like this is the ultimate definition of fronting, unless you're like 70 years old

that was badly put.. more just "retarded"

That's definitely a better way to put it, yep.

the mot juste xp

but that isnt even the point of this thread so, im moving on

xp hi retard!

Not sure, but I'd be willing to bet the last Tom Petty record was analog.

xp hi retard!

Oh, I forgot. Not supposed to call anyone out for using that word.

LOLLL what a joke! Analog synths produce sounds easily that can be hard to produce with digital graintable/fm ones and vice-versa. Also they look great on stage, but I guess you forgot that some synthesizer players actually preform in front of live people and not just record ghostwave chilltunes in their basement?

dont worry jon, im pretty sure he picked up a few sb's for using the 'r' word

i recall reading some intervoew in a mausician magazine w jack white were he was on about recording some WS album or other in a special studio that had no digtal eqpt in it, or maybe everything was all valve, it seemed a bit pretentious to me i must admit, especially when the album winds up pressed to CD and probably loudness maximised during the mastering process too.

I guess that wasnt post 2010 though, it seems like a few years ago i read it.

My last band did both our albums all analog. We liked the dude we did out with and felt comfortable there. I think it's pretty hilarious some of the stuff that's being said on this thread. There are a lot of inherently good things with the sound quality of tape. Especially with drum and bass sounds. Tape compression is great sounding and natural. I find it pretty dumb when people are acting like its ridiculous or somehow silly to do. It's really not hard to mic up and play your songs. Alot of modern rock records sounds like garbage.

no arguments from me that analog stuff can sound really really good

tho i fuckin hate bass on tape

Really? That's kind bizarre considering how much classic amazing sounding bass was recorded on tape

at first i read this as "2010 post-rock albums recording using only analog equipment". that would be a slightly shorter thread.

LOLLL what a joke! Analog synths produce sounds easily that can be hard to produce with digital graintable/fm ones and vice-versa. Also they look great on stage, but I guess you forgot that some synthesizer players actually preform in front of live people and not just record ghostwave chilltunes in their basement?

― Threadkiller General (Viceroy), Wednesday, March 23, 2011 5:38 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

tbf the people mentioned so far probably aren't using any synths

"tho i fuckin hate bass on tape"

yikes, yeah, this is crazy.

Really? That's kind bizarre considering how much classic amazing sounding bass was recorded on tape

was just ref to my own experiences as opposed to the concept of bass on tape as a whole

would prefer not to be called crazy

Jordan, I misread the title as that too.

Analogue synths are verifiably cooler than all other synths, though often kickably temperamental.

In terms of recording equipment, I'm not too bothered these days, though we've definitely done some all analogue recording sessions, and it can sound pretty cool.

didn't say YOU were crazy.

There's a new Crambo album in the pipeline, right

?

drums and synths are definitely nicer via toobs and tape.

Can't help thinking about this thread while reading this one.

analog sounds good imo

Ha ha it's gone now, color me badd is dust in the wind

Bass is OK in the digital domain
The problem with digital is that it's hard to capture the higher frequencies and transients.
The standard sample rate of 44.1 kHz was (as I recall) selected because the human ear can only hear up to 21.55 kHz
Which makes sense, but there is still dithering of the higher frequencies
Which is why things like a drums (crash, the transients of a kick, snare) and voice (the consonants) are often "must be analog" for some engineers
Even when recording at 96 kHz or higher, you're going to hear dithering of the high end

Lots of people record to tape, or mix to tape, or master to tape
Less, but still many, musicians will record to tape, although they won't be necessarily as fastidious about excluding digital processing from their recordings

Finally, working within the analog domain, as Jack White mentioned, presents an entirely different set of problems from the digital one
i.e. the tedious issues of dealing with word clock, digital editing and computer error
I find that TapeOp is fairly overzealous in promoting an analog method
But I would never describe anybody who chooses to work solely analog as over-romantic or anything, it's a different process is all

Re: rock records that are analog, I dunno. Like I said, lots of bands record to tape
But I don't know too many bands who pass over AD DA conversion with their guitar effects, processing or mastering
Low, Breeders, maybe tMGs sometimes. I think Mono work all analog

Sorry; I meant to say that recording analog *excludes* word clock, digital editing etc.

i recall reading some intervoew in a mausician magazine w jack white were he was on about recording some WS album or other in a special studio that had no digtal eqpt in it, or maybe everything was all valve, it seemed a bit pretentious to me i must admit, especially when the album winds up pressed to CD and probably loudness maximised during the mastering process too.

mastering is under the control of the artist unless they relinquish it - artists are often present at the mastering session, so if they mess up a full dynamic range at mastering it's not imo a sort of "they ruined it in mastering" situation, and if it is, what was stopping the artist from attending the mastering session - you have to be an idiot not to go to it & participate, in my opinion. I would be really really surprised if Jack White didn't have a specific mastering engineer he works with & didn't participate at every step of the process.

I heard that the last tape manufacturer ceased production last year. I'll have to confirm that with my audio engineer friend. This could have interesting results in that only the musicians with the biggest budgets will be able to afford to record analog once stockpiles dwindle. So analog will quickly become more and more rare. In one sense, it's a pity. In another, these debates will become pointless.

cassette tape is analog too, still very cheap

And with a dynamic range that make 128kbps mp3s sound awesome in comparison.

Actually I had it backwards. For almost a couple years, there was no tape being manufactured, but then last year two new companies started making it - ATR Magnetics in the US and RMG in Europe.

Keep mis-reading thread title as "2010 Post-rock albums recorded using only analog equiptment"

^^^

there's no shortage of tape guys.

m@tt OTM way upthread. for my part, we usually do some combo of the two - track to tape and then various overdubs in digital. mixing and mastering are entirely digital, for the most part. but analog compression really is a special thing for certain instruments.

ATR Magnetics makes great tape btw, prob better than the waning times before the collapse.

analog tape is a total pain in the ass wrt editing etc, but i dont think youd find a lot of people in the know that would argue the sound quality of it - obv it isnt ideal for some stuff but w/o going full geek, let me just say its pretty hard to make a convincing tonal argument against it imo

plus (despite what loads of dolts say about decay etc) its pretty awesome for archival purposes as well

With only two manufacturers in the world, wouldn't you say there's a relative shortage compared to past decades, with higher costs?

Collin at Boiler Room mastering thinks tape will be practically gone in ten years.

The high cost of tape (using nothing but tape for a full album would cost around $1000 in tape alone!) creates low demand. Every musician really wants to work on tape (kids love that I'm "old school" and came up on tape machines) but no one can afford it. Most of my tape work these days comes from Sanford - but he uses it only 1/3 of the time if that.

You'll read pages and pages on the "sound" of tape and most people have no idea what they are talking about. Yes it can sound amazing, but if your deck isn't set up right it can sound awful. Digital stuff gets better all the time and tape simulation is everywhere now.

Don't get me wrong - I love tape. There is something about the physical interaction of the machine that I really get into - it's that old car that only you can start. It's much more like playing a musical instrument. I just LOVE the smell of tape - it's probably horrible chemical offgassing but man does it smell like makin' records to me! Throw in some coffee and cigarette smoke and I get in studio mode.

sanford parker?

imo there's no downside to recording on tape >> editing on the computer (and/or bouncing stems back down to tape during mixing)

Yep.

Anyway, Graveyard's Hisingen Blues, out tomorrow in Europe, was produced, recorded, and mixed in 100 percent analog by Don Alsterberg at Don Pierre Studios in Gothenburg, Sweden. Probably most of the bands covered in my Stoner Rock Primer record in analog.

With only two manufacturers in the world, wouldn't you say there's a relative shortage compared to past decades, with higher costs?

no I wouldn't be cause tape gets RE-USED all the time.

imo there's no downside to recording on tape >> editing on the computer (and/or bouncing stems back down to tape during mixing)

yeah this is how we work

http://tapetape.com/

is a pretty good online retailer of one-pass used ampex tape

the young sinclairs put out an album last year called 'chimeys' and it was recorded all analog. it goes right along w/their 12 string byrds pop/60's schtick or whatever ya wanna call it.

in the inbox this week :

From Exeter’s very own tight-knit and fertile punk scene, The Computers return in May with ‘This Is The Computers’, their debut full-length album for One Little Indian Records. Recorded in four short days in the Californian home of John ‘Speedo’ Reis, more of whom in a minute, it was recorded live, to tape. That means no overdubs. No computers were involved (irony). There were no tweaks, corrections or auto-tuning – this is the real deal, baby. Warts and all, as Lemmy would say.

Misread thread title as "Post 2010 rock albums recorded using only analog equipment" and was like "wtf, that's every album recorded before like 1980; could post way more than 2010 of them"

http://tapetape.com/

is a pretty good online retailer of one-pass used ampex tape

Is there a substantive difference in aural quality of digital- vs. analog-recorded music if it's ultimately digitized into CD/MP3/etc., or do you need to hear the end result on vinyl (or open-reel!) to appreciate the all-analog tracking and mastering?

well yeah, I mean, go copy a cassette tape onto your computer. still sounds like a tape, right?

Or uh any cd of music recorded analog