Years before I could ever have called myself an engineer (No I don't use quotes, I earned my stripes) when I was about 10 years old in the late 80's I bought a record by my favorite band KISS called CRAZY NIGHTS
My 10-year-old ears were so highly offended by what I heard that I couldn't even pretend to like it (Like I had to pretend to like every KISS record AFTER Music From The Elder....couldn't stand the crappy "Hey we don't wear make-up and now we play heavy metal!" version of the band) but I digress...
...I GUSHED over the sounds of the 1970's version (We wear makeup and play Power-pop with the occasional disco tune thrown in for fun) Version of KISS, Bob Ezrin's "Destroyer" or "The Elder" Eddie Kramers "Rock n' Roll over" or "Love gun" Neal Bogart's (He wasn't even a producer, he was the label president, they couldn't afford to hire one at that point) Dressed to kill, Vini Poncia (It was ALMOST Morodor, but KISS woudn't wait for him) "Dynasty" and "Unmasked"
I also loved my first wave American and British Punk, The Sex Pistols Never Mind the Bollocks, The Dammed's Dammed Dammed Dammed, Both New York Dolls record's The Ramones first 4 record's (And I actually think Spector did a good job on the fifth, but I'll admit it sounds DIFFERENT) Bob Clearmountain's Original Mix of The Dead Boys "Young Loud and Snotty" Iggy and the Stooges RAW POWER
David Bowie Alladin Sane/Ziggy/Diamond Dogs, The Rolling Stones "Some Girls" "Emotional Rescue" "Undercover" I even love "Dirty work"
But something happened when KISS made CRAZY NIGHTS and the Stones made STEEL WHEELS
I didn't know what it was but the difference was NIGHT AND DAY,
All those records's I mentioned SOUNDED a certain way, they DID something
That something was GONE on CRAZY NIGHTS and STEEL WHEELS and it wasn't just inferior songwriting....
as a 10 year old I could hear it plain as day, even though I had no idea what the difference was
Those records along with the other gutless sounding records being released around that time were recorded..........can you guess?........I bet you can!
DIGITALLY!!!!!!!
I could tell something was wrong at 10 years of age so don't tell me that I'm nostalgic for record's that were made before I was born......those new record's sounded BAD
Neith KISS or the Stones would be caught dead using ANYTHING but 2" tape in 2017 and both groups have said so.......maybe they don't know much about records either? Not as much as you anyway.
Just like the first time I heard an analog synth I nearly soiled myself, the difference isn't small, the difference is HUGE!
Preamps, Mics, Guitars, Synths, Tape yes these things sound different and make all the difference in the world.
The problem with you 80's engineers is all you cared about was FIDELITY you cared about it more than the music you were recording, so all you guys LOVE C.D's sooooo much and think digital's pristine highs are just to die for
That whole generation of engineers have their head up one giant collective ass, they were raised trying to eliminate tape's imperfections, which were, in fact, AWESOME, chasing something NO ONE CARED ABOUT BUT THEM
Then when the world turned to them and said, "Hey guys! These records you are making suck! what happened to that tape machine we used to use" you threw one big collective tantrum, I see it in every thread where a kid asks about buying his first tape machine
There are 4 80's engineers in there within minutes trying to talk him out of it
Face it guys, you failed,
Fidelity sucks and the world knows it
The "engineers" as you patronizingly call them HAVE learned to KNOW WHAT THEY LIKE as you put it, but you are wrong about one thing, it isn't some delusional nostalgia (Look in the mirror for that) that makes them seek the sounds they do, it's the fact that unlike your generation of engineers
