The art of recording music is one that seems to fascinate everyone. For folks that never have set foot into a recording studio, the concept of being there at the moment of inspiration, as well as capturing the songs and sounds that resonate in our lives, must look pretty magical indeed. It would appear that the recordist gets to be the lucky, rare audience to pure, emotional performances and moments of brilliance. But when the art of recording is discussed by anyone not intimately familiar with the process, many times the information is jumbled. Words and workflow are mixed up and misconstrued. If you're a regular reader of Tape Op, I'd hazard a bet that you already have a clear knowledge of everything I'm saying here already, so pass a copy along to your friends so they can gain a better understanding of the craft and work that we all are involved in!
1. Tracks and Channels are two different things. In this usage, a Track is a single linear recording of mono audio signal. A Channel is the route which audio (as an electrical signal) passes through a console or outboard device on the way to and from the recording unit. You can't add more Channels and have more Tracks to work with while overdubbing or mixing. Recently, in the liner notes of a CD reissue, I read about how more Channels were added to a studio, and thus more overdubs could be done. Not true. Which leads us to...