![]() My own camera offers Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Neutral, Faithful, Monochrome, and three user‑defined modes, for example, each changing the tonal balance, colour saturation, sharpness, and contrast in different ways, to enhance the subject. Digital cameras and imaging software usually provide a range of 'picture‑style image processing' options. Interestingly, sound recording isn't the only industry that has found this. Further than that, some of the sounds resulting from 'abuse' of analogue gear have become recognised effects in their own right (tube overdrive and tape saturation being obvious examples). That's great in some circumstances, but it's not always what we want: in many cases, the technical limitations and imperfections of analogue systems have become an integral part of the quality of the recorded sounds that we all grew up with - and the end result is perceived by many people as being more pleasing than we can easily achieve today with all‑digital recording chains. A lot of the early digital gear certainly didn't live up to the hype that surrounded it, but understanding and technology have come on in leaps and bounds since then, and to my mind digital recording systems can now deliver pretty much all that was once promised: a near‑perfect recording medium that gives back exactly what was recorded. I cut my professional teeth on analogue equipment, but I think modern digital recording is a significant step up from the best of analogue in many practical ways. Some of 'the science' may seem daunting, but the alphabetical 'Technical Terms Explained' boxes should help with that. Hopefully, this will enable you to make more informed gear choices and create mixes with an analogue feel, if that's what you're after. In this article, I'll look at some of the key analogue technologies often associated with 'analogue warmth', and explain why they create the sound they do. ![]() There are many factors that combine to create character in recordings, ranging from instruments, musicians and performances, through the rooms and mics used, to the preamps, processors and effects (and the way in which they're used), but when we talk about analogue warmth, we're usually referring to the character that the analogue processing/recording equipment and the recording medium add to the sound. Not everyone has had first‑hand experience of magnetic tape recording and other analogue recording technology, of course, but we've all heard and admired the vast back catalogue of classic records made using this technology from the 1950s onwards. Get a group of recording engineers together, and sooner or later the conversation will turn to a discussion (probably quickly escalating to an argument) about 'analogue warmth' and how things sounded so much better 'BD' (Before Digital) - and even engineers and musicians who've never worked in earnest with all‑analogue systems (digital having become mainstream as far back as the 1980s) seem keen to bring this perceived 'warmth' into their productions. But what is it, why does it hold such appeal, and how can you use it to enhance your recordings? Analogue warmth seems to be the Holy Grail in these digital days.
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