I have to agree with save2600 (sorry I don't know your name), but digital recording is quite awful, and the use of computers for recording music has cheapened the whole recording industry. The horrendous overuse of compression just sucks all the life out of music. Then there's poor quality computer reverbs and effects...very poor, then on top of that, poor engineers/producers who have no idea what the hell they are doing.
To me, music and the quality of audio recordings has declined with each passing decade. Mid-late 1950's recordings were just amazing. There's a simple reason for this - they used better equipment to what we use today, and secondly they were recorded and produced by professionals, not bloody media studies college graduates. In the 50's they had the finest valve (tube) open reel tape machines, valve microphones, valve pre-amps, valve amps, valve compressors etc etc...real reverbs, not 'pretend' digital reverbs. Things were still good in the 60's and 70's. Midi in the 80's of course started the decline of musicianship, so that any idiot with a keyboard or drum machine could make their own "music" and make a hit record (amazingly).
Then came the 90's, oh dear. Extremely poor music production, extremely poor recording equipment (studios turned to digital recording and mixing by 1995/6). Due to the cheapness and maintenance free digital recording setups (ie computers/hard drive recorders/dat etc), many new studios opened, none of which were professional in equipment, nor were the producers any good at all. So music hit a low in the 90's, and it hasn't recovered ever since.
The production of music since the 90's is so poor, that indeed you can do a better job yourself, which is what I do (even with fairly cheap digital recording gear).
Oh, I almost forgot about the compact disc!
All I have to say about those is this : Convenient but CRAP.
It's a joke when people use the term "cd quality" or when it is used to boast about certain products. I'm like "cd quality? What does that mean?". I believe cd's and their 'quality' have also contributed to the decline of the music industry.
When I want to listen to some REAL quality I will either:
a) Listen to a vinyl LP (from late 50's to late 80's)
b) Listen to my open reel tascam mastering machine (15ips, full track 1/4" tape).
Until I hear something better than my reel to reel tape or my vinyl records, then I'm afraid I'll continue to remain with my 1950's technology, and very happily so.
P.S. To save2600 : there are some modern gems, try this one:
'Alison Krauss & Union Station – Let Me Touch You for Awhile'
