The real truth about recordings

As I have always said, there are no great "songs," there are only (1) great performances and (2) great recordings. In hi-fi we deal with recordings.
(Actually there a few songs so good that almost nobody could mess them up. Except maybe James Taylor. Taylor could probably eviscerate anything just by thinking about it, the same way Trump declassifies national security documents). 

Understood and agreed - but maybe it goes without saying. You can compare two television sets - one being better looking than the other - without getting into a discussion about editing. It is a necessary evil. The problem pops up when you try and define ‘better’ by saying ‘closer to the truth’. Understanding that truth is not obtainable can be either disappointing or can free you to peruse quality within the boundaries that it is feasible. 

ESP disks have the tag line ‘Artists alone will decide what you hear on their ESP disk’. Sounds good in principle - but anybody who has ventured deeply into their catalog with an open mind would find themselves secretly wishing they had a well trained engineer or producer steering the ship on some tracks. Raw truth, as much as we may say we want to hold up in the air as a paradigm of perfection, isn’t really what we want. 

Read the article, and wanted to add some thoughts in a slightly different vein. All music is an emotional and energy experience. That is the main point. Whether it is a live performance, a studio performance, or a recording of one of those performances, the emotion and energy are the main point and goal.

We can dwell on minutia regarding naturalness, timbre, sound stage, accuracy and on and on, but the real test is does the music, in whatever form, open up the emotion and energy flow that is projected in a way that affects us.

The how and way that is put together and reproduced matter less than that it is effective. Great instruments have a tonality and timbre that is effective only because it allows the emotion and energy flow to be more easily expressed. The same for any performers singing or playing. Those who can transmit an emotional experience and energy flow the best are the most highly regarded. For a recording, it is possible to take poor quality instruments, artists, and recording technology and yet still create a great recording because it is able to create an energy flow to produce an emotional experience that we enjoy. Think of some of the early recordings of the 30’s and 40’s that some may still love and find moving. Are they accurate? Are they natural? It doesn’t matter. They are able to use captured energy flows to create an emotional experience that is enjoyable and that we can feel.

@hickamore. You might not like his music, but James Taylor's albums are superbly played and engineered.

More generally, I don't think there is any single "truth" in recording. Different genres and performances respond to different engineering choices - just as in visual art, realism and abstract expressionism represent different "truths".

Without a Doubt, the recording/engineering involved makes a HUGE difference.

Mic Techniques most important, then .....

When it's involving, my friend and I look at each other and say "these guys knew what they were doing"!!!!