| I think we have to look at this from a different perspective. Like, from the audience's perspective.
Audio engineers tend to be old-school purists in regards to musical performances. Current artists' audiences, on the other hand, don't give a **** about those nostalgic sentiments. They've paid their $$$ for tickets, parking, etc...and they want to be entertained. Who are we to stand in their way?
This is, after all, SHOW business. The artist doesn't have perfect pitch. So what? The show must go on. The audience in attendence CHOSE to shell out the $$$ and the time to see their favorite artist perform. We are at the service of both that artist and his/her audience to present the best possible show.
We are in the business of illusion. When you go to the movies to see your favorite pretty faces, do you really think they are that pretty in "real life"?? Do you care? It's a movie, after all.
I don't think any of us can truly front like we are purists in that regard. As soon as you let a musician plug something into a wall, all bets are off. As soon as you set up for a musician to overdub a track, all bets are off. As soon as you sum a vocal track from more than one take, all bets are off. As soon as you add reverb, delay...you get my point by now, hopefully.
If you are going to go there for your artists and their audiences, be prepared to go all the way. That's the way I interpret Dave LeBolt's ideas, and I personally find it way cool that he's thinking on that level.
If there is something you find asthetically offensive in that, then I suggest you either let the market decide, or find another more asthetically pleasing career for yourself. But I personally believe in letting the artists be what they are, and letting their audiences have what they want of them, and not standing in the way of that. |