i've worked behind neve and ssl consoles before with a rack behind me worth well over $300,000
but the studio also had all that hooked up with a HD3 system. both digital and analog have pros and cons... the BIGGEST con with analog... Tape.. if any of you cut 2inch tape before you'd know what i mean. if you mess up the cut you just fuc*ed up.
these days with so many ppl using digital setups you'll often hear:
digital sounds to thin and others..i'm not getting that deep
if you have a quality front end, your already half way there (apogee,prism,benchmark,larvy,)
personally my new setup is about to consist of motu HD192 converters clocked through a 2192 or
896hd with apogee converters via litepipe clocked through a 2192.
not cheap but i'm willing to spend to have the sound i want plus i'll be highering prices
when it comes to digital vs analog you often hear ppl say(digital sounds thin)
then use a vintage style pre via:
neve 1073,1084, 1272 etc
telefunken 672's etc..
if not the real unit chandler, api,great river, tubetech, Massenburg and many others have reissues that cost a fraction of the cost.
if a new style compressor controls peaks better but you wanna add some harmonics or another tone.. get
a la2a, la3a, la4a 1176, dbx165, decca, a 33609 the list can go on.
mics. mics these days sonically can't be touched but if you want the colour of a classic mic go buy a u47, u67, c12, u87(not ai's) 251... etc. these days you can get reissued u47's under $2000 same with a 251. when doing r&b those would be some great mics to have. for rap vocals i like the 251 on some artist but something about a 47 on a country ass rapper here in atlanta makes me grind my teeth. don't forget about some old ribbon mics too.
Converters alone make a big difference in sound...
i could go on and on but i just had surgery on my hand. so i'm through for now