Committing to tape: questioning progress narratives in contemporary studio production

This chapter presents practice-based research into recording and production using analog multi-track tape. In contemporary recording studios, from large professional complexes to the smallest project setup, the Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) is ubiquitous, normative, and is generally presented in historical discussion as the logical successor to tape-based, analog ‘precursors’. The narrative that positions the DAW as successor to, evolution of and improvement on the tape studio is commonplace and has assumed the position of common sense, such that it is rarely questioned. The making of judgments and decisions happens constantly during tape recording, and is a much more heavily weighted part of the process than is evident in most DAW recording. The tight weaving in of decision-making to the fabric of the song in progress on tape will tend to result in a very different-sounding final recording. In the tape studio, contingency is clearly related to decision-making in the construction of the recording, the becoming of the recorded song.