Welcome to issue #102 of Tape Op.

Why is it these days that people (especially mainstream media) constantly refer to musicians being able to record at home as if it's a recent development?Home recording has been happening nearly as long as any kind of sound recording existed. In the 1940's Les Paul cut hit records in his garage. Emitt Rhodes delivered pop masterpieces from his home studio in the early '70s. I know computers are powerful and can do all sorts of magical things, like recording more tracks than any home setup from the past, or emulating analog hardware and real instruments. But this doesn't mean people were not resourceful back in the day, or that they didn't find ways to record under any budget. And it certainly doesn't mean that music was any less valid, despite the recording methods used. Viva home recording — it's been around a long time and it will always exist!

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