I’m of the old school mindset. When it’s your band, project whatever and you’re writing, creating. Nothing compares to in the room with everyone. Playing off of each others ideas and dynamics. There is no substitute for that. It captures things that wouldn’t otherwise be captured.
I’ve found the best way to record magic moments is for the band to have a kind of outline of what it is your working with. Roll tape (yes I still refer to it as tape and use it whenever possible) and go for it. If everyone in the band is competent and paying attention. I’ve found the end result usually yields something better than what was intended in the first place. When I say the band. I always think instruments should all be played together in the same room. Vocals are best done in isolation or sometimes even after the instruments are finished.
However, if you’re in a large enough studio where you can all be in the same room with isolation. Nothing takes the place of basically a live performance in perfect recording environment going to tape.
I’ve been lucky to work with exceptional engineers and producers in my past.
I’ve learned a lot from them. Probably the most important thing I’ve learned. Always roll tape. If someone is figuring out an idea. Roll tape. Anytime someone hits a note roll tape. The reason is. Sometimes that magic moment only happens once. If you have a record of that moment. It’s easier to try and reproduce that spark of an idea or that moment. If you don’t have that record. It’s very common to just be lost forever.
To me those are the biggest differences between the way it used to be done to how it is now. It’s hard to create magic moments when you’re in the room by yourself with headphones on playing over the rest of the band. There’s no interaction, eye contact gestures etc. non vocalized communication. In my experience. Those interactions are what creates those special moments that end up on recordings.
