I totally agree with this approach to music. I myself recorded only once in a "professional studio" and was really dissuaded from what I felt to be an overly-technical, creatively-restricting environment. Also, it costs a LOT of money to record even just one song at most of these studios. The producer tried eking out of me as many sessions as he could to sate his ego, but I walked away being the unsatisfied fool. I come from the tradition of Sufjan and Elliot Smith, Nick Drake. All in a league of their own, recording with a shitty Rode N1A that I've had for years along with a Focusrite preamp into Audacity is all I need. I think that if you are already a unique enough instrumentalist/singer-songwriter, the music should stand by itself. Sufjan Stevens also has a version of 'John my Beloved 'recorded on an IPHONE and it still holds up!
I think the conclusion is it's all about the songs! If they are good enough, and you are vulnerable and genuine (which is the key) - the rest doesn't matter
Great vid Chris! I had heard of the article way back when and a few weeks ago I was telling an engineer friend about this but I couldn't remember in which periodical it was published. I shall check it out as a reminder. kings of Convenience and other artists with a similar vibe to Sufjan tended to hire out rural or isolated places to record and what I notice is a beautiful sparseness and clarity that I personally struggle to achieve with unlimited tracks and plugins compared to my old Tascam 8 track in the late 90s! Thanks Dude, a great reminder for us.
