That's the rub. I have no interest in the TE stuff (or, for that matter, most other manufacturer's stuff), but what we can do on our hosts, these days, is amazing.

I remember using a Tascam recorder for our sessions, where you keep remixing tracks, until the hiss becomes your "signature sound."

Nowadays, you can have a 24-track, digital system on your handheld, for peanuts.