Seems like the core of every argument I ever had with software devs back when I was doing UI work. Good lord, those guys loved their buttons. It was almost like they were getting paid by the button.

Well, I don't miss scratches on vinyl, but I agree with him here. Kind of gets like a Swiss Army Knife - looks great, but not particularly useful.

No wonder artists who can afford the best of anything keep buying "retro" electronics and instruments, and revert to retro media.

Sooo true, and get pretty great results too.

Back in the day, things were so simple.

Dear Brian,

That fancy recording console has its own limitations, but you haven't found them yet and your engineer is too inexperienced. I guess you don't remember when programming a hardware arpeggiator took most of a day and involved a lot of quite unmusical steps. In fact, it took so long that a non-musician could have learned to play the same riff convincingly. Remember debugging CV routings on the old Moog modulars? That was always good for two trips to the pub and constant lines of coke, wasn't it. No, Brian, that new software based equipment is just fine for the kids; you're just getting old and crotchety.

This goes the other way too. Nothing wrong with violas and trumpets recorded with ribbon mics, but I don't see you doing that either. In fact, set up a 70s-80s style analog studio with its racks of patch bays and drop one of today's hot DAW producers in it. They will be just as flummoxed by the complexity as you are with that fancy panel.

Love,

No wonder artists who can afford the best of anything keep buying "retro" electronics and instruments, and revert to retro media.

I totally get it. This is why I still use an iPod classic.

It's not that the old musicmaking 'systems' were that much (if any) simpler. It's just that Mr. Eno has had over 30 years to learn how to get the best out of them and he just doesn't want to take another 30+ years to learn the new stuff.

You have an iPod, mullacc? I still play CDs. For realz.