A while back, Larry Crane – Tape Op's editor – tweeted an observation implying that many producers, engineers, and artists fill up their productions with tons of tracks simply because the modern DAW allows for such. He and I went back and forth a bit about having started out recording on linear tape formats, and how that taught us how to pick and choose during the tracking phase what any music production really needs.
Track sheets for the initial Miles Davis's on the Corner studio sessions on June 1, 1972 and an overdub session on July 7, 1972.
I started my career in a room with two Alesis ADAT 8-track tape-based digital recorders (sync'd for 16 tracks, total) and a 24-channel Mackie 8-bus console. Working in that format taught me about planning ahead, as well as making sure the parts recorded were essential to the production. We didn't have any extra tracks to "record it and see if we want it during the mix." That just wasn't a possibility. For instance, if I wanted to comp vocals I needed to do that early in the project, because each saved take required its own track. Plus I'd need an open track to record the new vocal comp onto after making the decisions of which parts of each take would be the final version. After I made this comp, I had to listen several times to make sure that the artist and I were happy, because those tracks I used for the multiple takes were soon needed for other overdubs.
We eventually added a third ADAT for 24 audio tracks, and for me that was like heaven. I could expand on ideas more freely at times, but still
