Nicholas J. Yasillo wrote:

>So, please go easy on the poor engineers.  It's often not our fault.:-)

I agree, I lay most of the blame on producers.

The more I think about it, the more I realize how recordings are often
a collaborative process...sometimes a bit like the story of the camel
being a horse designed by committee.

I let the musician have the final say on what is released, even if I
don't like the sound.  I figure, if I can go along with their interpretation
(well, ok, I will be honest...from time to time I do push them a bit in
one direction or another...) I think they should have control over the
sound quality as I believe it is as much a part of the artistic expression
as the tone they produce from their instrument.  The same holds true for
a group of instrumentalists, as they have to agree on interpretation,
they also need to agree on the quality of the sound...and I would rather
have them fight it out than fight with them one at a time!

I have also found that musicians welcome that control...and I believe,
it is one of the the reasons why my little label survives...musicians
are willing to work for less when they have more control.

Karl