Have contemporary technological changes in recording and the search for perfection been to the detriment of musical skills? Do today’s digital approaches create recordings that are too mechanical and lacking in the human touch? While older unedited recordings maintain their ‘liveness’ in the case of many Latin recordings of the mid-20th century, is it possible to go back to those days, now that digital layering and editing are part of the creative process? What is lost by removing the ‘imperfections’ of live performance in the mix?

See the full blog article here:

https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/blog/summer-showcase-2020-are-older-music-technologies-better-capturing-liveness-in-recordings/

See Sue’s showcase video talk here: https://youtu.be/ZJA7MG6zGOk