There's a subtle, interesting thought that pops up several times in this issue. Dave Pensado mentions, "I hate it when I hear somebody trying to be clever." Andrija Tokic notes that his "least favorite thing is when you listen to a record and it sounds very 'engineered in the studio.' I love stuff that transcends where it came from." Recording music might be the biggest magic act around, where we find ourselves setting up artificial environments to create recordings that try to sound natural. What is the conundrum of using electronic samples in order to make a recorded drum kit have more impact and grab a listener's attention? We sneak in all sorts of tricks and techniques trying to make a recording seem organic, real, and inviting; but the language of music recording — and what an audience expects — is a constantly evolving dialect. And sometimes clever studio trickery makes record buyers sit up and take notice. You never know...