People have some strange opinions with regards to technology in all walks of life and technology in music would appear to be no different.
 
There are a lot of people out there that go on about how they don’t think technology and music should go together. These people don’t like anything that is new and in this decade or the last it’s digital that they really don’t seem to like. Or maybe these people just don’t like progress. It’s something I don’t really understand- although I know that some just find it difficult to adapt to change- but I love it when new technology comes out (of any type), but even more so in music. Anything that can help to get the best and the newest sounds in music is ‘music to my ears’ (ooh, sorry!). Anything that enhances the sound or makes things easier for the musician and the listener has got to be better in my humble opinion.
 
It’s never been any different. There have always been these types. In the 70’s & 80’s people stuck there noses up at synthesizers. In the 50’s & 60’s they had an aversion to distortion added the guitar sound. Before that, even the mere thought of an Electric guitar was just too much.

Seriously, the acoustic guitar is technology. There is a lot of science in the building of any instrument and to ‘hate technology’ is just Luditism, or worse, it’s trying to be cool.

A couple of things I should point out are 1. Music recorded on Analogue tape in a top studio DOES NOT sound better than recorded digitally. If your studio can run to the top end of its converters then digital actually sounds better. “But it’s warmer” I hear. That ‘warmth’ is a fake addition which comes from the tape distorting the sound and personally, I can’t stand it. I love that clear, precise Digital sound where a pin dropping sounds like a pin dropping- not a warm muffled pin dropping. 2. Analogue synths sound wicked- some of the time. The rest of the time they are out of tune, impossible to programme, heavy, always on the verge of breaking down and noisy. If you can afford a good one then good for you, but if you can’t, you’ll either have something nowhere near as good as an emulator or a digital synth, or you’ll have a monster.

Also, a guitar isn’t good simply because its old and all beat up. Some old guitars are amazing, properly fantastic. Others are the worst piles of crap in the world and should be avoided at all cost. Don’t get it just cus’ it’s old. I’ve seen people shelling out in excess over £1000 for a guitar that was regarded as firewood in the 60’s just because it is from the 60’s. Don’t do it!

What I’m saying here is that people don’t seem to realise is that you can’t get away from technology. It’s all around us. Your Guitars, your analogue effect pedals, your amplifiers, it’s all technology! It’s just a little older than the newer stuff. So if you don’t like technology, then you’d better get back to the cave and start banging those rocks together! Actually, don’t use the rocks either, because then you would be using tools and that too, is technology. You’ll just have to slap yourselves.

DawnyVic