Concerning Live Recording Concerning Live Recording by Harvey Reid Recording is a lot like photography and moviemaking. All three were made possible by the invention of a machine, which was first turned on the world to capture images of things as they were, yet which has gradually become more integrated into a process that brings us films, photos and recordings that have been pieced together, produced and edited in increasingly elaborate ways. The most emotional photos are the ones taken right at the moment of war, grief or triumph. They don't hire actors to act sad and set up lights to get a photo in Tianemen Square or Oklahoma City. There is no need for it.
People are happy with the photo as it is.
It's hard to imagine music any more urgent than old blues and jazz records, where they did not lay down a rhythm track and layer some synths and punch in some vocals. Until the 60's, most records were just an attempt to capture a sound that already existed in the real world, and there was nothing wrong with them at all. I am caught in this struggle, and I have concluded that at least for me, the most compelling recordings are made during a moment when the recording machine is capturing something special. We can only hope that during our lifetimes, there will be some times when we are really soaring, and a high-quality recording machine is on. That is the beauty of the DAT technology.