In Summary
Despite virtually all studios running digital rigs, for some the drive persists to run the kind of analogue gear associated with classic pro studios. With cost being a major factor, what is the financial reality when it comes to using analogue? We find out…
Going Deeper
While the DAW revolution may have democratised music making for millions of creatives, its linear, mixer-with-sequence MO has clear roots in the purpose-built machines that previously powered recording technology for over half a century. With the influence of the hardware analogue studio still being felt, much of the imagery around audio production relates to this period in the industry. It’s true to say that many of those revered for their craft learned it using this gear. Clients as well often expect to see certain remnants from this era, such as the large studio console. Indeed this expectation is in part behind the continuing development and sale of certain pieces that other studios choose to work without.
Putting aside the reasons why analogue gear is or isn’t used, one truth is the difference in cost. With some aspiring engineers and misty-eyed veterans both holding a soft spot for any gear that pushes electrons to make noise, how do costs compare when using either analogue or the more widely used digital default? So different is digital to analogue, that there aren’t always direct numbers to compare. Other items survive and now thrive in the digital age. Here we take an unscientific look at the big picture of costs compared.
Prices in USD. Multiply by 0.8 for GBP, 0.9 for EUR.
The Console
Analogue
With tape machines essentially only providing record and replay, the only way to get sounds down, and to hear them back is one of the best known of studio centrepieces: the console, board, desk, or mixer. Those working with 16 track multitrack, or the more standard 2 inch 24 track tape machines are going to need a larger console with enough track busses or direct outputs to pipe everything to tracks, and enough monitor paths to hear and mix them through.
Digital
With every DAW wielding its own virtual mixer, the large studio console is a mere option. Personal preference may call for the undoubted ergonomic benefits of reaching and doing with a console, but for others the DAW’s ability to route, record, playback, and mix in the computer renders the analogue (or any) console completely redundant. More recently a number of compact pro analogue solutions have sprung up to scratch the itch of anyone who fancies a taste of the hands-on console workflow. There are digital hardware mixers for recording studios in use, but these remain a rarity.
Example analogue cost:
Audient ASP8024-HE - $40,500
Example analogue-for-hybrid studio cost:
Solid State Logic BiG SiX - $3000
Cabling
Analogue
Where the analogue studio needs a console, it also needs cabling, and lots of it. For example, 24 lines into the console, potentially 48 to and from tape, plus 8 as a starting point for monitoring means that the number of lines that looms and multis must carry quickly runs into triple figures. This is without any cabling for outboard reverbs, compressors, or gates which could add half as many lines again.
Digital
Despite the potential for a more slender rig that happens mainly ITB, a comparable fully digital console-less studio would still need to get 24 lines into the computer and 8 lines out. Those running a console basically need the same cabling as those running tape.
Example analogue cost:
Console audio only - 8 way loom X 12 - $960
Example digital cost:
Console audio only - 8 way loom X 6 - $480
The Machine
Analogue
As mentioned, the large tape format of choice is the 2 inch 24 track machine. For those unfamiliar with them, these beasts are comparable in size with a large freestanding oven/stove, usually with a bridge of meters for every track. Following their development in the middle of last century, later machines such as those from Studer and Ampex reached the pinnacle of what was technically achievable with this tech. The engineering expertise involved has a corresponding price tag.
Although some analogue studios mix down to a stereo DAW such as Wavelab, the purely analogue studio needs to have a second machine to print mixes to. The most popular format for these is half inch 2 track.
Digital
With the DAW in position as the mixer and tape machine, Avid’s Pro Tools HDX systems are for many the de facto replacement of analogue recording and mixing. Although any DAW can serve the commercial studio, to date hardware accelerated versions of Pro Tools (currently using HDX technologies) deliver what the others have struggled to do: low latency performance that allows seamless monitoring of either live input or replay without delay. Its expanded processing firepower has also seen it as the only solution for large scale mixing before native computing power caught up with commercial need.
Example analogue cost:
Studer A800 MkII 24 track machine (new) - c.$90,000
Machine cleaning and maintenance extra.
Example digital cost:
Avid Carbon X 1 plus Carbon Pre X 2 - $8200
Media
Analogue
In the analogue studio, storage comes as magnetic tape. Despite the large heavy reels involved, a standard reel of 2 inch tape holds around 16 minutes of 24 track audio when used at the fastest speed of 30 inches per second. Halving the speed doubles the recording time (halving the cost), with the trade-off being increased noise and distortion.
This is would equate to about 2.8GB as 24 bit 44kHz digital audio or 12.2GB when digitised at 24 bit 192 kHz.
Digital
With earlier digital systems being restricted by the small size and high cost of storage, those worries are now a distant memory. Large HHDs have given way to even bigger highly affordable solid state drives (SSDs), meaning that one of digital’s biggest Achilles heels has all but disappeared.
Example analogue cost:
16 minutes of 24 track recording at 30 ips - $500
(Based on a brand new 2 inch 2500 ft/762 metre reel)
Equivalent recording time to digital cost:
16 minutes of 24 track audio digitised at 24 bit 192 kHz (12.2GB) - $1
(Based on 4TB PCIe SSD costing around $350)
Power
Analogue
Large consoles have traditionally needed big power supplies to provide enough swing for multiple channels of audio, as well as all those meters and pretty lights to entertain clients. These channels also need a big enough electronic pipe to be channelled through; increasing mix headroom in a design also needs more power. Added to that, many consoles need to be left powered up constantly to avoid additional stress on the components caused by current in-rushes.
The side effect of all this power is heat. Most commercial studios in warmer environments see air conditioning employed to keep those within protected from the glow of gear.
Digital
The power requirements of the console-less studio (of which virtually all are digital) are much lower. In the absence of the power-eating monoliths of traditional control rooms, the biggest source of heat in the all-digital studio may well be the people within them. Interface and networking peripherals can give the mercury a little squeeze, but compared to console heat, studios can ease off on the air con.
Example analogue classic console power cost:
1 month of 1.5kW draw (based on approximate mid 2023 UK prices @50p/kWh = £504) - $630
Modern analogue console designs have reduced power consumption a lot, with smart powering options to keep things ticking over once everyone has gone home.
Example digital cost:
This is harder to know owing to the number of variables, however the fact that the computer and interface plug straight into the wall says a lot!
Summing Up
Despite the functions and reduced cost of the digital studio, analogue gear with its immediacy, and yes, sound still holds appeal for many. Some will have grown up with the wind of the reels running through their hair. Others may have done with a laptop under one arm and their skateboard under the other; these people might like to see what all the fuss is about.
Digital can be a win-win owing to its much lower costs and the very fact that the medium itself does not have ‘a sound’. The convenience of complete recall, session portability, unlimited tracks, and full automation that fits into a few Gigabytes or less will make its use less of an active choice and more of a default for most studios.
Taking two of the big running costs of all-analogue studios, our numbers show that both power and media cost differences are particularly stark. Although $650 per month is based on energy costs here in the UK, we’re betting that this won’t be cheap anywhere. The fact that media costs can be cheaper by a factor of 500 is astonishing wherever you are! Our figure is based on 24 bit 192 kHz, however using around one quarter of this storage would fit the equivalent audio at 24 bit 44.1 kHz - more than enough to match or even outrun the finest tape at the fastest speed in terms of frequency response and dynamic range.
The reasons for choosing either can of course be artistic, technical, or financial, but in terms of hard cash, the costs between the two technologies have little comparison.
Clearly analogue devotees see the benefits of their investment with clients who enjoy the warm glow of large things with lots and lots of lights on them, as well as the undeniable difference in sound. Certainly anyone choosing to work in analogue for the first time won’t be doing it for their bank balance, but the Certain Something that it brings for a small number of productions continues to inspire.
Whatever the choice, only the studio owner can decide whether any advantages or disadvantages are worth the difference in outlay.
How About You?
Which analogue or digital gear do you choose to run, and why? How much does equipment or energy cost in your territory? Let us know in the comments.
A Word About This Article
As the Experts team considered how we could better help the community we thought that some of you are time poor and don’t have the time to read a long article or a watch a long video. In 2023 we are going to be trying out articles that have the fast takeaway right at the start and then an opportunity to go deeper if you wish. Let us know if you like this idea in the comments.
Studer A800 photo from Wikipedia licenced under Creative Commons