Greetings,
Some of you may or may not recall a few years ago myself and a musical collaborator/partner had designs to record and release an album entirely in the analog medium (I had been posting updates on a thread on this forum). As sometimes happens, the project lost momentum, and eventually our collaborative musical efforts also ended (though we remain friends). The tape album as it was initially conceived is simply not to be. I still, however, have several tape machines in storage, and have recently been toying with the idea of resurrecting the concept. At this point I'm more or less just a guy with an Otari 8 track in his basement, not a member of an organized and cohesive musical team, which may or may not be as interesting to any following any progress I make (or experiencing the end result). I am an artist myself (and always have been) so I have my own material - it's just more difficult to do this kind of thing on one's own.
I am still terribly interested in the process of recording in analog (I am apparently young enough where by the time I got into studios, no one was using tape anymore) and would like to use the equipment I have instead of letting it sit and deteriorate. I guess my questions to this group, as the only community I know who is consuming music on this format new, revolve around logistics to a degree. In short, is there even any interest in someone recording/releasing an all analog album, given it will be the amateur work of an individual without the expertise to produce a sound quality remotely close to TP tapes? And secondly, and maybe more pertinently - given that I have 8 tracks at my disposal, and am working on my own, I've considered using electronic beats in lieu of a drummer. I enjoy the aesthetics of this style of music, and it doesn't require me to find a competent drummer and use up half of my tracks for drums and etc. It does however mean that there would be a small amount of digital elements recorded onto the tape. Does this then defeat the purpose of an analog album? My interest is also to record music that inspires me and an audience, and if a small amount of digital signal will improve the quality of the music does that justify it? Or does that create an album that really no one wants (since it's neither digital nor analog in a way)?
I appreciate your thoughts. I don't promise to follow all of your recommendations (haha) but I appreciate hearing what this forum may have to say about it. I face a dilemma as an artist - I realize you don't necessarily write music for any purpose other than for your own fulfillment, but I'm at a point in my life/career where to make something that I know no one will ever hear or enjoy doesn't sound particularly fulfilling. Perhaps it's always a balance.
Forgive the rambling and unprofessional nature of this message. I'm just a guy who's trying to figure out if it's worth it to put time and effort into producing some variety of an analog album or if that window has well and truly passed. Thank you for your understanding and tolerance.
Be Well
-nick
