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.