Maybe I read it on the Tape Op Message Board, or maybe someone told me this tale, but it was many years ago: The band books studio time, shows up, sets up, runs through a take of their first song, and then asks the engineer, “How did that sound to you?” His reply, “It’s on tape.”
I was mixing an album for a punk band. I always ask who did the recording (and where it was done) when on mix sessions, as I like to do a little research on what went on in order to do the best job. The band was happy enough with the recordings, but they had a bit to say about the engineer. He’d frequently be looking at his phone, taking a phone call, or otherwise distracted by texts and emails. They’d finish a take, look through the glass, and he’d be staring down at his phone. Even though he’d done an okay enough job, they had lingering feelings of being ignored. Additionally, they assumed they were not the engineer’s number one priority while in the studio.
I was tracking a new album for a duo that had several previous records out and had just moved to Portland. As always, I was guiding the pace of the session, staying very attentive, and keeping it all on track and productive. After a few days, one of the members said, “It’s nice to come into the control room and you don’t have Facebook open on the tracking computer.” Startled, I asked, “Did your previous producer/engineer look at Facebook while you were performing?” “Oh yeah, all the time,” they replied.