"Transparent" Technology in the Studio

As Music & Technology major, I have to learn the ins and outs of the programs loaded onto my computer, the console in Kidde 350, the console at Water Music on Madison Street, and different kinds of microphones and mic-placement techniques – and if everything is working perfectly, then a piece of music can be recorded, produced, and marketed seamlessly. In my Sound Recording class on Thursday, Professor Harari decided to take a break from the normal theoretical-based lecture and instead talked about practice advice when working in the technological realm of music. In the lecture he made a remark that really stood out to me about how the role that technology should play in making music: “Technology needs to be transparent to the creative process.” Relating back to what we talk about in class, technology (the mics, the consoles, the programs, etc.) need to be a part of the extended mind. Technology needs to be the “hammer” that you don’t realize you’re using until you’re finished with it, or if it breaks (knock on wood).

The console is typically the biggest piece of hardware that a producer or audio engineer will have to work with. It’s seemingly infinite knobs, buttons, and switches are overwhelming and some of them even have multiple functions. When an engineer works at the console, the console is a part of their extended mind, working with them to achieve the balance, effect, or panning they want. Because producers often times have to pay to use the studio, engineers cannot waste time in searching for what they’re looking for. They have to know where it is, and if there is a keystroke shortcut for it. Every second counts.

The Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) is where the recordings are found and it also has its own set of balances and effects. In the DAW, however, everything is hidden in tabs and menus, stressing the importance of keystroke shortcuts that much more. Professor Harari gave an example of how something as simple as changing the colors on the individual recordings can speed up the session, such as making all the drum recordings black and all the acoustic guitars yellow, or something like that. That way, if the producer asks you to turn the bass guitar in just a smidge, the engineer doesn’t waste time reading each individual label until he finds the one he wants. In the DAW called Logic, there’s an option that allows the engineers to have multiple screens open at once, like having the waveforms, faders, an EQ plug-in, and a metering plug-in open all at the same time. This function is particularly useful so the engineer can see multiple aspects of music happening at the same time. The engineer doesn’t have to flip back-and-forth between screens to see how a reverberation patch is affecting the balance of specific frequencies.

Despite what you believe about today’s music compared to the music of the classical era or the music of The Beatles, music production has advanced so that engineers and producers can spend less time searching for plug-ins and dials and more time allowing the artist to be inspired by being in the moment. Engineers cannot waste time toying with mic placement and levels when the guitarist is thinking of a clever and creative rift for the bridge. It has to be seamless. The technology has to be transparent.