For some reason, I feel like I asked before.
But I'm wondering, why, just WHY, do producers tend to have tons of racks for compressors, reverb effects, delays, etc.... when they wouldn't want to clog the raw recording with FX BEFORE they mix and stuff? 

I just don't get what all this stuff is for (and much less, how/when it's used) when we have so much software that performs equally well at a fraction of the cost.

Many do use those effects before hand - if they know what they want.

the key is " software that performs equally well."  Certain tasks it does.  For certain tasks it don't.  Usually people will point out EQ boost and compression as two areas where analog is better.  And for reverb/delay other time-based effects digital hardware can still outperform as generic computer.

The area I find digital most problematic is in Saturation - those little hairs that thicken up a sound so it sounds less ... digital.  get that going in and you are good to go.  If you try to use digital afterwards to replicate that, I find it is usually not as smooth as good analog.  I've tried the emulations and usually turn them off.  They cloud up the sound.  I find digital good for clean, sharp reproduction but use analog to round off the edges.  It is subtle, really, but there for me.

@

Hi David-

A.T. is pretty much right-on. Many folks use anlog gear going in, but many don't. A lot of us use it in post during mixing. So, your question is fair about not clogging the source.

The thing with analog gear is that it really sounds smoother. It's subjective, and there are a billion threads about the debate between analog and digital. Without digital and software based recording, most of us would never have been able to become recordists. In addition, the ability to edit and tweak things in the digital domain is unsurpassed. But the analog gear does something that is almost not describable. The words that people generally use are warmer and smoother. 

I have personally been accumulating analog gear for a few years now, and there is honestly an audible difference. However, depending on your taste, you might night like it better. That's the key. Many on here have discussed the fact that people raised this side of say 1990 will mostly have been raised on digital recordings. Thus their frame of reference may be the digital sound. But it depends largely on what music they listen to. As you noted, many a producer and recording engineer use analog gear for acts that have the money to be recorded by such folks. Thus, it's possible that the recordings that even a newer generation likes was recorded using analog gear.

So to me, most of the analog gear sounds better to my ears, but not everyone will agree. Music is subjective. We don't all like the same material, and we won't all like the same qualities that both analog and/or digital have to offer. If you have the opportunity, listen to some recordings that you would know were recorded differently. I don't know your tastes, but there is likely a song that was recorded pre 1990 that you might like. It may also have been re-recorded as a cover by someone later on. If you can find something like this, you can judge yourself. 

Remember, in the end neither is "better." Your ears will tell you which one sounds better to you.

by treating say a sample *BEFORE* it even goes near a mix to give it punch etc.. makes it easier to use in a mix..
remember not all that equipment maybe be used for just mixing , some of it is more at home with mastering the end mix.

some of the things might only be able to process X amount of inputs / outputs , so somethings folk double up on that front.

some of it might be even used for the audio in the studio itself for the speakers. I did go into 1 studio with 1 rack just for 4 amps outside the door.

craziest rig I saw , 12 akai 3000 xl's  (full expanded 32mb ;-) ) + a scsi patch bay at the bottom of it..  (that was £22k of sampler at the time) . 

davdud101


For some reason, I feel like I asked before.
But I'm wondering, why, just WHY, do producers tend to have tons of racks for compressors, reverb effects, delays, etc.... when they wouldn't want to clog the raw recording with FX BEFORE they mix and stuff? 

I just don't get what all this stuff is for (and much less, how/when it's used) when we have so much software that performs equally well at a fraction of the cost.

You can use the hardware equally well after the recording. The hardware is used just like the software, basically. Many simply prefer the classic hardware sounds, allthough most can not afford the hardware. How likely would someone buy and use 2000$ compressor and 8000$ reverb if he thought he could get the exact same results with a 300$ software? Well, of course, our ears can cheat us...if we strongly assume one sounds better, then it does, no matter what we hear...

Because clients are impressed by lots of lights and knobs. No clueless wannabe pop star is going to come in and say "oooh! you've got a UAD-2!".

Because clients are impressed by lots of lights and knobs. No clueless wannabe pop star is going to come in and say "oooh! you've got a UAD-2!".


:>   right on,,, I haven't hit the power bar on my rack since my last outsider came in, I have a client coming today and that was on my list of things to do,,, turn on the rack so he will feel he is getting his money's worth. 


I paid a lot of money for that stuff and it's all worth nothing now. So I am squeezing it's last value by using it as eye candy for the studio. People expect gear when they walk in. If all I had was an laptop, audio interface and a set of monitors that would not look very impressive. 

I wished I had kept an old Reel to Reel, It would be fun to sync it to the "R " keystroke. 

I still have an old Ampeg tape recorder here...

Thanks, guys, that clears stuff up a lot. It certainly does look a lot more impressive to see tons of lights and knobs against the wall. Ha, thanks!

You can actually buy fake rack fillers with knobs and lights. Funk Products sells the infamous Palindrometer. Or, if you're on a tight budget, just pick up a blank rack filler panel for around $6 and make your own out of whatever spare parts you have lying about.