EXCLUSIVES

Dont Look Back

Its been five years since DiLeo last used analog tape to record, and he doesnt miss it. Recording digitally, he says, is more fun because it has taken his focus off the mechanics of recording and put it on to the creative process.

"The technology gives you the freedom to experiment with things you wouldnt have before. Thats how you stumble across some of coolest things."

Patrick says his studio allows him to turn his ideas into music quickly without getting bogged down worrying about technical constraints.

"If I were to sit with the computer, I think I would get a little overwhelmed. Rae is my computer interface. I tell him what sound Im going for, and he makes it happen. This technology has made it easy for someone like me who likes to work off the cuff. I do my best work when I write stuff and get it done quickly."

When it comes to editing music, digital is clearly easier and more accurate than analog. Before Pro Tools, DiLeo says editing was a tense process that required a skilled hand and a touch of luck to cut and paste tape together properly. If either failed, the tape wound up in the trash.

"Say I was recording drums and the snare was off a bit. It used to be that Id go to the multi-track and splice the tape to fix it. That could take 20 minutes. Now, I just cut and paste on the screen and Im done in 10 seconds. If I screw up, I didnt ruin the take, because I can undo it."

When asked to name some drawbacks of digital recording, DiLeo is stumped.

"I never really thought of it like that because you get so much by going digital. I guess you could say its more work in some ways. You have so many options in front of you, you end up trying more things and experimenting. But having options is not really a disadvantage."

Open Doors

Digital technology has changed the art of making music in two ways. First, its cheaper than ever to record studio-quality music. Secondly, its shifted the focus away from skilled musicianship to boundless creativity.

"So You Want To Be A Rock And Roll Star?"

You dont have to be a prodigy to sound good. Drum loops are a saving grace for the rhythmically-disinclined. Guitar effects make a pawn shop guitar sound like the voice of God. And harmonizes add girth to even the thinnest voices.

The studio is more open, but that doesnt mean anyone can plop down behind the keyboard and expect great art to come screaming out of their speakers. You cant fake the funk, Patrick says.

"If you suck, you suck. You have to put in your time as a thinker and individualist. A monkey is not going to write Romeo and Juliet with a state-of-the-art word processor, but can you imagine what Jimi Hendrix could do in a modern studio?"