[Dixielandjazz] Cut and Paste Recording

[Kurt]

I've heard some bands that sound much better in person than they do on their
CD.  They are obviously much more relaxed in a performance setting without
the pressure of the recording engineer doing his thing.

Maybe this is because they are being paid to perform the concert, but are
the ones paying the engineer for the studio time, and feel pressure to get
it in one or two takes since the meter is running on the clock?

You bring up a good point Steve.  What about "truth in advertising"?  If I
buy a CD of a band that is recorded live in concert before an audience, I
expect to hear the music exactly as it was played and not "repaired" by a
recording engineer after the fact.  In such cases, perhaps there should be a
disclaimer on the CD case: "Portions of this recording were edited after the
fact to erase embarrassing moments the band didn't want preserved for all
time."

Kurt

-----Original Message-----
From: dixielandjazz-bounces at ml.islandnet.com
[mailto:dixielandjazz-bounces at ml.islandnet.com]On Behalf Of Stephen
Barbone
Sent: Thursday, January 29, 2004 2:19 PM
To: Dixieland Jazz Mailing List
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Cut and Paste Recording


Interesting technology, this cut and paste business. Has even been done
on live concert recordings for at least 50 years. Charles Mingus goofed
back then, during a recording at Massey Hall in Canada, in a session
called "The Greatest Jazz Concert" or something like that. His errors
were corrected later on in the mixing room by erasing the goofs and
inserting the proper notes.

A lot, if not virtually all records made today contain some of this cut
and paste technology, because most of us fear a squeak or a wrong note.
We want to sound perfect, even if we didn't play that way.

Question: If what we hear on records is not what was played, what
exactly are we listing to? Live jazz, or electronic music?  Are we
saying so and so is a great band, or player, when in truth, they have
been electronically repaired to sound better than they really are? What
kind of shock will occur when we go to hear them live in concert?

I have been disappointed over the past 10 years or so to hear some bands
live (no names please) for the first time that I had heard previously
only on CDs. The personnel were the same, but they were much better on
the CDs, because, I think, of numerous, phony, technical enhancements.
Bummer.

I don't have any answers, but I am glad I will not live to see the day
when all music is completely electronic and completely without errors of
the moment. My opinion? Leave the glitches and clams in because they are
part of what really happens during the creative process. As Jazz
musicians, we should be secure enough to have on record what we really
created.

Cheers,
Steve (What you hear is what we played) Barbone


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