J-War
Thanks all for you clever advices and feedbacks.
I agree with you all, i'd better have to manage distances and signal gain rather than putting some hardware i won't be able to " undo " after.
 
Thanks again.

Well see, that's another "sort of" misconception. Many of us that have been doing this a long time, didn't have Sonar or some sort of "non destructive" recording situation. So we had to record with effects at times. That said, a majority of the recordings you hear today literally have destructive hardware altering or coloring the sound.
 
The problem arises when someone grabs a piece capable of compressing or limiting...and they go too far. With a little trial and error, you or anyone else could record fully with destructive effects. But until you can get to that point where you know how much is enough, there's really not much of a need. Especially when we can add things in Sonar that do not effect the material permanently unless you want that to happen.
 
A little compression going to disc is a good thing because it can give you a nice, conditioned signal. In other instances, it can give your sounds a coloration that doesn't always make it to the track when you try to use a digital plugin inside Sonar.
 
There are compressors that the serious recording guys use just for this purpose. It may make a track a little more powerful....a little more warm or neutral so to speak....a little more consistent, or heck, it may do something totally funky and artistic to the sound. When used in moderation, stuff like this literally helps you create the sound. When used to the extreme, it can ruin a track which is why I and others had mentioned "you gotta be careful".
 
So you can get one of those hardware devices....but unless you have a specific reason for using one, it is more of a preference, not a necessity. I like the way my vocals sound when I record with an LA2A, Fairchild or 1176 on the track BEFORE it hits the disc better than when I don't use one of those.
 
I don't hit them hard most of the time, but when I do, it's for effect purposes and 98% of the time, I nail it. I always test it out to see how it translates. Since my vocals are the last things I track, it's easier for me to make a decision on how much comp is going in. This method isn't for everyone, but it is something that can be very useful at some point if you ever decide to go down this road. :)
 
-Danny

I am considering buying a UREI 1176 LN in few monthes, until then i'll follow the advices here and won't buy any cheap piece of hardware and will instead stick to the old method.
 
J.

There's always the method Dusty Springfield used - multiple takes of phrases or even individual syllables at different volumes, vocal tone and distances from the mic and using different acoustic spaces. Then put the whole thing together afterwards.
 
Must have been a nightmare for whoever got the job of cutting and splicing the tape.....