Old school analog techniques

Jay Barracato

Jay Barracato

Graduate Student
Jan 11, 2011
1,528
5
38
Solomons MD
How many people still take the differently colored fader knobs off of say an unused stereo return and put them on the channels you will be riding the most like fx returns?

Thinking about this got me wondering what other analog habits are falling out of use in the digital world.
 
Re: Old school analog techniques

One thing that had happened to me recently was I was guest engineering at a nightclub (they couldn't find a FOH engineer for one of their shows), and before the show the production manager was showing me around. We got to the console...an old Soundcraft Series 600, and he asked me if I had brought my own board tape, because most engineer's bring their own. Since I always work on my digital desk, I am used to having the LCD screens above each channel, so of course I didn't have any. I used to bring board tape with me before I fully got into the digital world, but now I don't even bother.
 
Re: Old school analog techniques

Have you ever 'spiked" monitor consoles for several bands using a piece of board tape on top of each knob and different colored ink pens all pointed to 12 oclock (no matter the actual position of the knob) as a quick "reset"?

That is one area that digital totally rules-until it crashes--------------------------------
 
Re: Old school analog techniques

Jay Barracato said:
How many people still take the differently colored fader knobs off of say an unused stereo return and put them on the channels you will be riding the most like fx returns?

Thinking about this got me wondering what other analog habits are falling out of use in the digital world.
Click to expand...

That is not really falling out of use at all, it has just been replaced with fader glow on some consoles. 8)~8-)~:cool: To have assignable colours on the buttons would of course be the ultimate. My day-glo painted set of spare knobs for the old soundcraft was quite handy.
The coloured and labelled plugs on the 16 channel insert snake, I'll guess is more or less gone for good. One thing that definitely has disappeared is the folder with lots of copies of crib-sheets.
 
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While I have covered some boards with tape on multi band shows, at this point I think I can grab any fader on a standard 4-8 piece rock band without looking if I am allowed to patch my way. Any oddballs end up in the same places also so all I typically have to do is look for what is not standard on stage and I know where it will fall on the board.

Bands seem to think they are doing me a favor by sharing mics, as if it is a great imposition to set up a mic and channel. If you need a mic for one song because the rhythm guitarist is going to play a xylophone, just ask and I will set it up at his playing position. No need to try and drag the SR vocal mic to SL and then adjust levels and then drag it back when you are done and readjust. Same thing for guest musicians band members invite on stage.

I think with digital recall people are forgetting that the reason some shows went to high channels counts on analog was simply to have things ready for a single part of the show.
 
Re: Old school analog techniques

Jay Barracato said:
How many people still take the differently colored fader knobs off of say an unused stereo return and put them on the channels you will be riding the most like fx returns?

Thinking about this got me wondering what other analog habits are falling out of use in the digital world.
Click to expand...

I can't say that I will miss this, as after a while the knobs started to loosen up and when you flipped the console and opened it up at the next show you would have to put 3 or 4 of the damn things back on - if you could find them.
 
Robert Lofgren said:
Yeah, therefor I usually disable fader linking when linking channels...
Click to expand...

I know there is a way when linking channels to make the second fader disappear, but when it comes down to crunch time, I can never remember what it is.

That seems to happen when I spend a lot of time board hopping and it is a couple of months between seeing the same model.
 
Re: Old school analog techniques

I bookmark those kinds of thing in the manuals that I carry around for everything- I'm sorry... I forget that I'm the only one with every manual I've ever used on an iPad and in a binder that I carry around. (Yes, it's heavy. I keep it in the car just in case).
 
Max Warasila said:
I bookmark those kinds of thing in the manuals that I carry around for everything- I'm sorry... I forget that I'm the only one with every manual I've ever used on an iPad and in a binder that I carry around. (Yes, it's heavy. I keep it in the car just in case).
Click to expand...

I have most of them on my phone. Some I have downloaded 15 times, so I have 15 copies. So 15 unread copies equals...
 
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