I am curious, electrical engineers...

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

There is still a demand for analog design engineers?

Well, I guess the majority of EE jobs - at least design jobs - are in embedded systems of some kind today (at least, that is the case in Australia) and, you almost always have to do some signal conditioning at the inputs & connct the output to the real world. So you have to deal with analog along the way, even if you are mostly dealing with microprocessors.
And, even if you are entirely digital - when you get up around 800Mhz  where most of the communications action is today, those digits look pretty analog.
I guess what I am saying is, when you come to a difficulty, you may wish you had some analog training!
(and, it's pretty sad to see someone do a great coding job & have the whole system invalidated because they buggered up the analog input stage & effectively threw away the accuracy by introducing noise! 16 bits doesn't sound unreasonable - but at 5V full scale, that demands a noise floor of only a couple of microvolts. Well below what you can get from thermoelectric effects, never mind anything else!)
But as I might have said before - the EE degree gives you the tools, then what you do after that gives you the career.

[Processaurus]

One of the most intriguing types of music electronics I've seen are analog/digital hybrid effects, where you have an analog signal path, and a digital processor controlling things from behind the scenes.  Starting to get interested in control voltages that are complex make me wish I knew how to program stuff, for example unusual LFOs, like this tremolo that has a knob where it records you twisting it, and then loops that and uses it to tremulate!  Also these Guyatone effects looked impressive with all this crazy digital crap but an analog signal path.

To make those you'd need some education, and also some old school analog know-how, which it seems like they skim over in most EE programs.

[RedHouse]

Gosh Brad, that was subtle.

Just for completeness, it's also useful to remember that someone who does have the formal training *sometimes* does know what they're talking about.

This is particularly irritating to someone who is invested in the "the pros are always wrong" mythos, particularly when things don't go as they see it. Might happen here sometimes.

Nah, probably not.

RG, is everything alright with you? as of late you're quite often taking personal exception to my posts. I'd say most times someone with formal training knows what they're talking about, I was just meaning there is often an unnessesary arrogance that goes along with it.

Lately it seems if I touch on any subject you've touched, you get all feeling like I'm stepping on your toes or something, that is why I quickly edited that post and added the note,

...I'm reflecting on cafeteria and group meeting discussions I've had over the years...

(obviously didn't work)

RG, c'mon, I think you're great, doesn't everybody? but I don't have you on my mind as often as you might believe, in my view (maybe I'm foggy and confused) this forum is not all about you, as I'm sure you'd agree.
(at least I'd hope you'd agree?)

I was clearly speaking of arrogant EE's I have worked with in the past, acting quite uncool. I didn't speak of you but struck a nerve, sorry. I've never worked with you (I've never even met you) so I would have no idea what kind of person you are to work with. Why would you think I'm talking about you?

I love Univibes, of all the effects there are to DIY around with, I love the univibe the best.  I've been experimenting with them for some years now, and as I recall I've even posted to you specific questions about the cap values, stage order, etc which you have promptly and graciously answered (you know if I didn't say thanks... well thank you).

Anyway, can ya please give it a rest? I'd like to be able to post without you thinking it's all about you somehow.

BTW, did I mention you're great? 

PS; I'll respond to your PM with this post also, thank you for asking.

[Sir H C]

There is a big demand for analog IC designers.  Places where analog designers still rule:

Power management
op-amps
power amplifiers (even Class D ones)
RF (okay somewhat different but here even the "digital" is often more analog)
and a ton of other things.  I remember the quote years back that the modern computer (circa 90s) has more analog chips than the old Apples.  I would say that is still true and analog will always be needed as a way to interface with the real world.