When I have a live band to record at Octave Records one of the first things I do is stand right in the middle of the tracking room to get a sense of what they sound like live. It's invigorating and moving. My toe starts tapping and I am in the music.
Once I leave the live room for the control room, everything changes for better and for worse.
Better because in the control room the mix of the instruments has been perfected. In the live room I don't hear the snap of the snare, the crash of the cymbal, or the pluck of the upright bass with as much clarity as I do in the control room.
Worse because I am missing the live elements of the musicians. Their energy is palpable in the room.
If you think about it the difference between live and recorded has much to do with being immersed in the emotions of the moment—the connection to the musicians and the audience. There's an energy generated at a live event, an energy we are unable to capture and reproduce on our systems.
A live recording of a live event—one that captures audio and video—is about as close as we're likely to ever get to being there.
And that's just fine. It's why going to concerts is such a treat.
