This is true. Some "Live" albums weren't actually live, at all. In many cases, they kept the kick drum, then went into a studio and re-recorded every other instrument.

Others, like my favorite live album of all time, Frampton Comes Alive, wasn't live at all and in fact, recorded at A&M Studios on La Brea. Sometimes, bands will overdub any mistakes and in others, the vocals are either overdubbed, tuned (it was time consuming to pitch correct vocals with an Eventide H910 but it was done) or re-recorded altogther.

But the bottom line is that the performances connect with an audience.


Up until the past four or five years, when analog to digital converters made a huge leap, most people prefer the sound of analog tape versus digital, especially the Sony PCM 3348, which was a mainstay of the 80's. The Sony Machine coupled with an SSL console is basically "The Sound of the 80's". Very, very clean, very little bass (bottom end) and a high end sheen that didn't exist before that era due to the limitations of analog tape, "hiss" being the main factor.

Most artists prefer 2" 16 track or 2" 32 track (Michael Beinhorn created a 2" 8 track machine that he used for tracking drums - Ozzy's Ozzmosis album was the first album he used it on - Superunknown is probably the most famous example) but it's just too difficult and too time consuming to use these days when compared to the ease of digital. Plus, as mentioned earlier, high end converters sound absolutely amazing, as do even low end converters.

I'm not sure if you're stating that microphones from the 50's through 70's are better or if the microphones today are better. But the general consensus is that the German mics from the 50's, 60's and 70's were light years better than any of the mics developed and manufactured from the 80's until about 2010ish.

There isn't a person with "ears" on the planet that wouldn't take a Neumann U67, U87, U47 (my personal fav) or even a 47 FET over the microphones made from the 80's to around 2010. Throw in Gefell, AKG, RCA, Beyer and even Shure SM57's - before they were made in Mexico - or even a good ol' EV RE20 into that pile. Those mics are still in demand and highly sought after, which will bring back a bounty to the owner if he decides to part with it.

While there are a few companies that get close to the original AKG C12 and Neumann U47, they're still around $6K and $12k respectively. For that price, you'd probably be better off purchasing a vintage mic and having someone like Dave Royer, Dave Pearlman or JJ Blair restore it.

About the only new mic that gained any prestige during the 80's was the Sony C800-G, which Mick Guzauski chose for Mariah Carey's voice because she had such a beautiful yet warm top end to her voice. Other producers began using it on other R&B and Pop vocalists but no one made it sound like Mariah. Ribbon mics, especially the Royer R121 (coupled with an SM57), became all the rage for heavy guitar tones in the early 2000's but they still don't have the same mojo as an RCA 77 and the best clones (made by AEA) top $6K today.

The bottom line is that if it was cost and time effective, most (not all, as digital is unbeatable for classical and jazz) would choose analog tape over digital and the mic locker at Blackbird or Abbey Road over Chinese knockoffs. And while some of the knockoffs are very, very good most certainly usable, they just aren't the same as their vintage counterparts.
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I agree. I understand that analog has become more "en vogue" than in the past (Hell, I started out with a few friends in the 80s with a TEAC 4 track cassette machine. Very rudimentary back in the day, but it actually did a fair job. Made us feel like big time guys! :-)

The few times I have played out live - not since the early 90s - I used to lug my Ampeg SVT with an 8X10 cab (or occasionally a 6X10) and nearly always the sound tech would hook up a EV RE20 or even a Shure 57 and stick it in from of my cab. Later, I bought a SVT4Pro - simply for the quality of the Line Out. I still have a Mic case full of 58s...ran across them the other day and they brought a smile to the old face....Those were the days. :-)
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The advances in computer chips have basically eliminated the need for analog use on a daily basis.

From 2007-2014, I had a Neve 8816 mixer and a Vintech 609CA on the 2 buss, which all sounded great but I had to render every track in Real Time, which is a major pain in the ass when you're providing as many as 20 Stems on 3 minute cues. And if you make a mistake and unmute the wrong the group, you have to do the render over again. I also had to check each Stem, which took another full hour or more.

These days, everything's done in the "box". I still use Vintech x73's and other high end outboard gear but mixing in the box generally takes less than 1 minute per track and it's impossible to tell the difference between the render and the playback because it's all numbers.

Oddly enough, I've had a dozen albums mastered over at Capitol due to the policies of certain Production Music Libraries and in each case, preferred my Masters over theirs every time.

And yeah, the SVT4 Pro is a cool head. I used to have an Ampeg SVTII Pro tube bass preamp, which I should have never, ever sold, because it was a beautiful piece of gear. I've been using the Sansamp Geddy Lee bass Preamp into a an 1176 revision D since 2017 and I'm getting the best bass tones I've ever recorded, even better than my Ampeg V4BH head and Ampeg cab, although that setup sounded freaking awesome (the V4BH is a 100 watt version of a vintage SVT, so it's perfect for recording).

I used to miss analog but now, I don't. And I certainly don't miss constantly cleaning the heads, biasing and demagnetizing. Even thinking about it makes me say "Ugh".

:-)
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Damn! You sound like a Bass Player!!




I haven't played in years - but I can't get rid of my babies... :-)

Still noodle every now and again to relax, but these 74 year old fingers don't work like they used to :-)
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I'm a TV Composer and play bass on any cues that require bass. I have several basses, some of which are "clones" of each other but tuned differently. I don't like stretching strings so I have instruments that are dedicated to specific tunings.

Here's a few of them:


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That P-Bass looks like a 78 Anniversary! I LOVED those basses, even though I was only about 12 years old at the time.

I had a Rick 4001 when I was 15, stupidly sold it and wish I still had it, even though I'm not sure how much I'd use it at this point.

I just haven't been able to force myself to drop $2k+ on a new one...
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Just went and listened to Cheap Trick Live at Buddakan last night after work.

Not bad at all!

I'm going to try and rotate one or two a week in my listening lineup.

I've done Skynrd several times in the past but there are a couple of neat ones in this thread I gotta try. None of the headbangers though.
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Think I'm gonna do for my next 5:

1, Johnny Cash
2. Bob Marley
3. The Eagles
4. Bob Seger
5. James Brown
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I guess my "go to" bass would be the 75 Jazz or the 69 P Bass (not pictured). I have always loved the Rics but I agree...if you are not Chris Squire, the bass isn't that "versatile". I bought a 4001 when I was in the Army (grabbed it from Mannys New York) and shipped it home. It was a Fireglo....but a few years later I fell out of love with the color.

Funny, but I've lost count on how much this damned hobby has cost me over the years, but it is substantial. But I can't bring myself to part with any of them..... :-)
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Yep. 78 Anniversary. I absolutely LOVE the P Basses and have since I was a kid. I have been trying to lay my hands on a 52 P Bass.....but damn they are high dollar! I tried like crazy to pry one of Entwistles acoustic basses (an Ovation) from a guy in London, but alas.....too rich for my blood :-)
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Yeah, don't sell them!

In the late 80's, I sold a 1968 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop for a freaking Jackson and the Rickenbacker 4001 for an Ibanez Soundgear! Not a month goes by in which I don't regret it. Fortunately, I haven't sold any of my 24 guitars and basses in the last 25 years.

I may go a year or three without using a guitar or bass for my work but there's no way I'm selling any of them because they're completely customized, either by my luthier or by the Fender Custom shop. I need them all because I compose music as varied as Freddie King and Eddie Cochran to Anthrax and Metallica and everything in between. They're all built to my specific needs in terms of wood, pickups, electronics, frets, neck shapes and setups, so replacing them would be brutal.

Enjoy them! :-)
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Yeah, that Antigua finish was only produced for about 18 months, so I'd definitely hang on to that bad boy!

The third bass from the left in the picture I posted is a 1953 Fender Precision reissue with an ash body and one piece solid maple neck from 2002. I've had the same set of Fender nickel flats on that bass since I purchased it and it sounds freaking awesome!

I had to replace the bridge because I couldn't get it to intonate perfectly and earlier this year, I had Lindy Fralin custom wind a side-by-side humbucking pickup that sounds exactly like the original, sans buzzing.

All of my basses are my "favorites" but there's a special place in my heart for the '53 for reasons I can't even explain.
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Brother that must keep you up at night........ :-)
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Back in the 80's I belonged to FOPG (Friends of Peter Gabriel) and I use to get a newsletter mailed from the UK. I remember when he was making the 1986 album "So", he recorded it in both digital and analog. Afterwards he did a blindfold test and he liked the analog recording best. He said it gave the music more warmth and the notes more fullness.


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Talking Heads "Stop Making Sense"
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