ENTRY LEVEL WORKER
Joined: 31 Aug 2013 Posts: 5
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Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2013 11:36 am Post subject: Demand for analogue is growing |
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Demand for analogue is growing
Even so, the increasing demand for analogue processing in professional recording is clearly being taken seriously.
"Many recording studios and artists are now using at least some analogue technology in their music production," Wilson asserts. "This is not restricted to electronic music. Many
acoustic recording artists and even orchestral music producers are introducing analogue elements to their recording process.
"What is likely to emerge is an increasing number of hybrid solutions that permit certain analogue processing elements to be inserted directly into the digital path, potentially in more interactive and integrated ways than we have seen of late. For example, analogue and even tube gear may be combined with built in codecs and digital front panel control.
"There is now much R&D going into the deep emulation of various tube and analogue processing elements in software and dsp and maybe one day these might displace the use of analogue electronics in modern recordings entirely – but not for now."
Another company reentering the analogue world is Novation, part of Focusrite Audio Engineering, which made the Bass Station; a famous synthesiser in the 1990s. To celebrate its 21st birthday, it has developed the Bass Station II – an analogue synth made for bass, but also suitable for leads.
"Bass Station II has been completely reworked for the 21st Century, with two filters, two oscillators plus a sub oscillator, patch save and a fully analogue effects section," says Novation's Simon Halstead. "Plus there's a step sequencer, arpeggiator, a two octave (25 note) velocity sensitive keyboard with full sized keys and a powerful modulation section. There's also MIDI I/O and USB connectivity."
Halstead attributes much of analogue's difference from digital to voltage controlled sound generators, processors and modulators, which sound less precise and clinical than virtual analogues/software plug ins and, consequently, more interesting as pleasant imperfections affect the signal.
"That said, modern digital synths are very good at emulating the imperfections that make analogue synths sound good. Some of Novation's VA synths include features such as 'VCO drift', which simulates tuning inconsistencies that emerge as voltage controlled oscillators warm up."
Another way of combining digital elements with analogue is illustrated by Dave Smith Instruments of San Francisco, which produces the Mopho, a desktop synthesiser module with a 100% analogue signal path but which is controllable via MIDI. It also has a free editor for use with pcs. _________________ executive car hire |
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