In a Samadi floatation tank in Santa Cruz,.California. This was back when floatation tanks were just hitting their popularity stride in the 1980s. Music from this album was used to "wake" me from my semi-conscious state. It was an amazing first-time experience for me. I still believe floating is better than an edible or toking a doobee.

The guy is a musical genius, sadly unheralded.

It exorcism the evil trying to overtake the world.

Listened to the whole thing many times.
Incredible piece of production by Oldfield. 5 people on the console was required.

Production. I don't recall if I ever read the cover or not.

I don't recall being a huge amount of info in the liner notes.
Fun fact: Mike couldn't get the "clang" he wanted out of the tubular bell using the standard orchestral bell hammers.
So, he used a claw hammer. He broke the bell! The bell wasn't his! Well, it was after he broke it.

...standard equipment in big studios. I think that was recorded at The Manor (Oxfordshire), which is now out of business. They had one of the most sought-after mixing desks on the planet, a Helios. But it was a completely manual desk, and I'm not sure it was even able to be retrofitted with automation. They replaced it with an SSL, which had a great deal of automation built right into the design. BTW, most of Sarah McLachlan's records were cut on a Helios (owned by her producer).

These days, mix automation is almost passé due to the ubiquity of computer DAW software. I'm still pretty old-fashioned, however, and I continue to use a fader/mute automation system on an analog desk, even though the actual recordings are digital.

The faders aren't motorized, but the programming reads the position of the fader.
Then you can program "events" that turn that position up or down, but the sliders don't move.
But, programming events with that little user interface is such a pain, I just do everything manually.
I don't record enough to justify buying a DAW & a dedicated computer. But, I think it would be fun to use the newest tech.

...that it's based on VCA technology. That's what my fader/mute automation system is as well. You set the faders on the desk at 0 dB, and then you use a DAW or MIDI controller to set actual levels using VCAs. So the faders and mute buttons are temporarily replaced by VCA automation controlled through MIDI. "Flying fader" automation (using faders controlled with servo-motors) used to cost a fortune, and it was seen only in world-class studios. In recent years, the price has come down a lot, but it's still an expensive way to go. Most older analog desks have been retrofitted with VCA automation, especially since VCA sound quality is so much better than it was in the '70s and '80s.

I suppose the events would be easier to program if this thing had a bigger display.
But, to program events, I have to scroll at least 3 pages, maybe 4, for EACH channel separately.
Given it's really just this "other thing" I do, and the playing is the real priority, it's more work to automate than I want to do.
Here's a modest example of me messing around. The one cool thing is that everything is a first take.
https://m.soundcloud.com/user-134084288/all-along-the-watchtower

I'm guessing this is some kind of hard disk or flash-based recorder from your description of scrolling through menus, etc. Still, 16 tracks is a pretty decent canvas for doing more than just simple demos. I did my senior thesis in college (music conservatory) on a crappy Tascam 1/2" 8-track open-reel machine (with quite a few MIDI virtual tracks slaved to timecode on the Tascam). You can do a lot artistically even when you are limited by your technology.

The other nice thing about digital recording is that you can bounce multiple tracks to free up more space without the generation loss you would get from analog tape. I used to bounce a lot of my guitar tracks down to a stereo pair, for example. That does mean you have to make some final mix decisions while you're still tracking, but you can usually get it right by listening to how the tracks fit in the context of the larger work.

It's a Tascam.
Nothing on that SoundCloud page even used 16 tracks, but if I cared more, I probably would have bounced to mult the harmonies.
I think the highest tracks used number was 14.
Way better than that Tascam 4 channel cassette recorder I had in the 80s & 90s. On that, I had to do exactly what your describing. Bouncing tracks while singing a harmony, and so on.
At least my machine ran at double speed.