[Dixielandjazz] RE: Expain what mixing does

[Edgerton, Paul A]

Russ,

I've said this here before but it bears repeating: All recordings are
illusions. No recording perfectly captures the sound of a musical
performance, but they should at least be convincing representations.

There are techniques that can compensate for certain musical weaknesses.
It's also possible to create ensembles that could never exist (Kenny G with
Louis Armstrong comes to mind). 

And yet, the goal of any recording is a flattering presentation of the
music. Sometimes the best way to achieve is with a fairly accurate
recording, sometimes it takes every trick in the book. In either case, the
art of the musician is indispensable. With today's technology, we can do a
lot to polish away imperfections, but we still can't make a silk purse out
of a sow's ear. 

At the same time, the tremendous number of decisions to be made in recoding
require a certain art from  the production staff. Good recordings are the
product of a collaboration of artists both musical and technical.

-- Paul Edgerton