This month’s issue of Guitar World had a great piece that looks (through the eyes of the audio engineer on the sessions) at the making of Sgt. Peppers. The part that really struck me – the limits of the gear, especially the four-track recording that required so many tough decisions before bouncing tracks. Levels and mixes set in stone after each bounce. Mind blowing that the Beatles made such a masterpiece – even more mind blowing that each one of us could have an eight- or 16-track or bigger rig in our basement, for small dollars. It gives me two very contradictory impressions. One is that the technology has empowered all of us – the people! – as artists, and that we don’t need corporate studio support to make our own albums. Art is for everyone, and advances in technology make this even more evident. The other impression is that this access to technology just goes to prove that no matter how great the tools and tech we have access to, art is special, and not everyone can do it; it’s not leveled by technological advances and genius is still genius. The increased access to recording technology only underscores this hard fact. So which impression is right? Both, probably, contradictory or not.
Apr
20
