Man, you hit the nail on the head. There's something about doing it by hand, like tuning a carburetor or developing film, where you feel every little change. But then you need to get things done for a bigger project and automation just takes over, even if it feels a bit hollow. I miss the connection of the old way, but my time is so split now. It's a real tug of war.
Totally feel that. I had the same issue when I was restoring an old motorcycle. Every adjustment was by feel, and it took forever. But for the electrical system, I used a modern diagnostic tool just to save time. Ended up with a mix where the engine tuning was all hands-on, but the tedious stuff got automated. Kept the connection without losing my mind.