It is true that when I was young, I had a vague and somewhat embarrassing desire to build a studio at home, resembling a commercial studio with full of vintage equipments. There was a period when I meaninglessly accumulated a large amount of equipment.

As my job started to focus only on composition, synthesizer arrangement and mixing, which no longer required recording acoustic instruments, including vocals, at home, I ended up selling almost all of my vintage equipment. Speaking of regrets, the only thing I can think of is that if I had held onto them a little longer, their prices might have increased even further. Even if I still have a reason to own vintage equipment today, it's solely based on the possibility of future value appreciation. However, as a professional musician, I still have some pride, and it would feel embarrassing to profit from such things.

While there are likely some excellent options among the current analog devices, my fundamental approach is to replace hardware with software as much as possible. Therefore, I have no intention of specifically contacting VK to request a demo. I have no desire or time to pursue a 1% difference in sound quality. Furthermore, I don't believe hardware is superior in today's music scene at all.

The SSL bus compressor is the only piece I still use. It has become fully integrated into my current workflow, and it undoubtedly speeds up the workflow , so I intend to keep it until a plugin alternative becomes available.

Same with old muscle cars, like Mustangs, Camaros, Dodge Challengers, hemi ‘cuda’s

as strange as this may sound, imo you were kind a 'lucky' i know plenty of folks who invested into the 'wrong' platform/at the wrong time and when bancrupt but i would like to address the (often mentioned) 1% difference...

...to which i can't relate: not only do i find it hard/impossible to 'calulate' a difference, ime it's often barely noticeable under all but a direct comparison - IF there's difference at all: after all, sampling works! - but mainly i'm wondering why on earth so many people think that the originals always performs 'better'?!

ime that's simply not the case!

i do have but very few piece of gear which are aiming at emulating the behaviour of original gear but frankly, i'd be pissed if i had to deal with original limitation and gladly welcome a modern twist on things!

Got a merging Anubis some years back, and gradually sold all my hardware gear and just working itb, keeping the usual mic lineup U87/SM7/SM58/Ribbons/Lavalier and a ZOD IDDI.
But... I had to record more lately and not just mixing/mastering, and honestly I'm angry at myself for selling my TG2 and VLC1 mic pre, Serpent Audio 1176 and Buzz Audio Essence...
The sound isn't there anymore on my electric guitars, vocals are ok but not "sounds like a record" when recording ...
I feel that's where I went too far selling stuff.
I don't regret my mastering hardware chain, Dangerous Music converters Box/Comp which I thought would be dearly missed as they are still powerful and great sounding gear, plus other high end nice equipments and stuff, but not at all in the end.
In contrast I feel when the sound is correctly recorded or the samples used well processed/chosen, then afterwards everything can go fast and smoothly all itb, and that's where I missed some reality check.

So I'd say keep two complementing high quality preamps and a comp or two, then best 3 way speakers (Focal Trio ST6 nom after some Trio 11 and Barefoots), and Trinnov plus the pack of awesome plugins we have access to today.
Just sharing my own experiences/point of view to reply to this topic, hope it helps!

My entire mic locker and an Alesis Masterlink with a JIM Williams mod.
Hugh

Mics and certain instruments, and anything with an expected rise in value, like mics and certain instruments.

keeping this gear to stay in business with four new A20-HH microphones

Interesting read. I still work hybrid and have done for many years now, so most of my hardware gets used enough to keep around. I've parted ways with a few things that ITB does as well or better (e,g, racks of gates) but for now the rest is not going anywhere.

That said, I'm not persuaded that this thread is as broadly relevant as some seem to suggest. Unless everything you record is generated electronically from samples or synths or AI:

• Mics - you're still gonna need them
• Preamps - you're still gonna need them
• tracking EQs and Comps - you're (probably) still gonna need them
• Converters - you're still gonna need them
• Amps/monitors - you're still gonna need them
• Headphones, stands, snakes, patchbays - you will need them
• Instruments - you prolly need them too
• Room treatment, isolation, baffles - more things you still need
• Mix bus processors - optional
• Outboard effects - optional
• Tape machines - optional
• Consoles/summers - optional

Some of us like an analog chain on the 2-bus. Some of us still like to use hardware fx. Consoles and tape aside, for most those are the only real questions.

Everyone's situation will be different, but my guess is most of us have more invested in things in the "still gonna need" categories than in the "optional" segment.

Which leads me to suggest that gear you should keep 'forever' should probably have more to do with:

1. Whether it's built to last
2. Whether it's the best of its kind at doing something or other
3. Whether it makes you smile every time you use it

...than it does with whether you are wholly or mostly ITB.

You started a thread with a title that gave a conclusion.

Better would have been a poll asking who’s ITB, OTB or hybrid.

I’ve just gone from ITB to hybrid, in my part of the world I’m finding more folk are leaving ITB to go back to hybrid.

I think I should start a thread …. “what plug-ins should you keep forever in these hybrid mixing days

NE5532 at its best. I really mean it!

There is not a lot that can not be done with that chip.

I genuinely laugh when I see idiots swapping them randomly out in hi fi world as they are "bad".

Obviously these people have no idea how people design around chips and swapping out for something else is usually a good way of generating hi frequency oscillation.

Doug Self's life work reads like a love letter to the 5534!