Re: [ARSCLIST] Quarter-inch splicing tabs

[Karl Miller <lyaa071@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Mon, 13 Mar 2006, Robert Hodge wrote:

> VERY TRUE !! Hence the expression " We Can Fix It In Post ".
>
> Just because the tool is available to " Fix it" , why should performance suffer?
>
> One complete and uninteruppted perfect take beats many retakes hands down !
>
> My 2 Bits.

I have often wondered if there is not something lost in the editing
process. I have worked on releases (won't mention names) where a ten
minute movement could have as many as 15 edit or more edits. Some
musicians I have worked with have an almost unearthly ability to pick out
a measure here and a measure there and then put together an extremely
complex puzzle. In such instances, while I am amazed at the continuity
they can maintain, I wonder if such a practice actually destroys some form
of continuity in the communication, a continuity that is not obvious on
first listening.

I am also reminded of doing side joins on 78s where conductors had to stop
mid movement...some times one take will work better with another, but yet, and
maybe it is just me and knowing how things were done, but a broadcast
performance, recorded on 16 inch lacquers, seems to be more
convincing...not just the spontaneity of it, but somehow it seems to be a
question of continuity...even when one considers how masterful those
musicians were at keeping tempi right from one side to the next. For
myself, one those rare occasions I had the opportunity to
conduct...stopping (say in rehearsal) is a bit like being interrupted when
you are about to say something in an argument. The part after the interruption
never comes out exactly the say as it would if you had been allowed to
continue your thought without the interruption.

Since many of you have done plenty of editing...I wonder what your
thoughts might be.

Karl