I’m recording a singer-songwriter project and it’ll probably just be me, my guitar, and maybe some light percussion. I want it to feel full and I feel like digital sounds empty with simple mixes. Would appreciate any thoughts you might have! Thx!
My personal recipe to get the rich analog sound entirely in the CPU:
- do not allow harsh digital adding in your DAW, use console emulator on each and every channel: https://airwindows.com
- treat the tracks with analog-emulating plug-ins: https://analogobsession.com
- use a powerful mastering processor on the output track: https://www.thimeo.com/stereo-tool/
First two you can get for free.
My audio mix as an example (using the recipe described above and mixed in Reaper at 192kHz):
Some people do use cassette to record, and you might get good results with that. That said, digital is impartial. If your mixes seem empty, it's probably because of what you're feeding it.
If it were me I'd try an analog mixer with mic preamps that bring some of that warmth in. Or perhaps some classic microphones plugged into a small tube pre, for instance the ART tube pre, unless you have thousands of dollars to throw an an old Neve console, the brand which was at the heart of some of the studios where classic rock albums were recorded.
I personally like some old 60s Sony mics and a perhaps even older Shure PA system mic to add a soft, vintage sound signature.
First two you can get for free.
My audio mix as an example (using the recipe described above and mixed in Reaper at 192kHz):
https://youtu.be/o8OMABAKcDQ