This question is a bear we all have to wrestle to the ground in our own way. Hardware and software are fun to buy and even more fun to use. Every new piece may be the missing link that saves you from hours of tweaking the same old stuff. Finally, when you're released from debtor's prison, you realize that you could have gotten by on less.
One artist has taken "less is more" to the extreme. It's John Mellencamp and on his new record he said no to gear. The equipment list reads like this...1 microphone and 1 reel to reel tape recorder.
One microphone. That means mono folks. Above, you'll see an excerpt from the album credits that states it plainly. He ain't kiddin'.
We previewed some tracks and it certainly doesn't sound like anything you're hearing on the radio...or anywhere else. It's like your great grandparent's 78s without the scratches. Still, Mellencamp writes good songs and usually, no piece of gear can keep a good song down.
What we took away from this was that, when everyone is pushing the limits of auto tune, multi fx processing, grid perfect editing and a dumpster full of mod studio tricks, there's only one way to go. The other way. Of course, a lot of that ground has been covered and re-covered in recent times so, maybe you have to get into the wayback machine with Sherman and Mr. Peabody and visit a time not so heavily traveled.
Getting all retro has been cool for a long time but, this record transports you to an era that nearly challenges the beginnings of magnetic recording. We can't wait to see who tries to top that.
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