How do you talk about studio recording when so much has already been said that we're almost saturated with reading about it? I'm going to try to share some personal points of view, and I do mean personal, because in this science of sound it's best for everyone to draw their own conclusions after trying things out, and then either adopt them or reject them. And here I think anything goes; at the end of the day, what counts is: the results.
If the people who came before us quite a few years ago (and we won't put numbers on it, when it comes to dates...) hadn't dared to try, break, fix, investigate and, in short, hadn't dared to do everything that crossed their minds, we certainly wouldn't be where we are (and we keep moving forward).
Because while the most important thing is to have solid knowledge, I think the most beneficial attitude is CURIOSITY. We have to, and must, dare to stick our noses into a thousand and one places, and only then will we gain the knowledge that others won't have out of fear or laziness.
It's important to be outgoing, and I say this from experience, because if you're shy you'll never get beyond having a good theoretical foundation, but in practice... And now we've really hit the heart of the matter: "PRACTICE".
What makes one engineer different from another?
Several things, of course: character, attitude, attention to detail, curiosity, etc. But the most important thing, and what will set them apart, is "THE CONCEPT". And here there's as much variety as there are ideas; it's like music, what variety! And above all, what richness! How many ways a C has been played, and how many are still to be discovered...! 
And that's thanks to the boldness of new generations, who are increasingly uninhibited and self-assured; that's what will bring about new concepts. Whether we like them or agree with them is another matter, but they'll be there and they have to be respected.
This applies to both the studio and live work, with certain nuances, since, for example, when we work a concert we have to be very clear about the timbre of each element, respecting of course the original sound and the effects we're going to treat them with, because once the concert begins, the reaction time for any change is much shorter than in the studio. In the studio we generally have much more time and, above all, we can correct any of the tones at any moment and also change the mix and anything else that occurs to us as time goes by. In each workplace (studio or live) we have different elements that will condition our choices; of course, the advantage of the studio is that we always have a space that will be the same every day, as will the monitors. That helps a lot because, as the hours and days go by, we'll get to know the room's acoustics and the response of the monitors.
There will always be some small variables that may or may not affect the result (especially the room sound), such as each and every item that comes with the different instruments: drum cases (hard or soft), amp flight cases, rugs, carpeting, etc. In the case of flight cases, though, it's best to leave them somewhere other than the recording room, because at some point we'll probably get some strange, unwanted noises that will cloud the peace of the sound being recorded, such as handles that rattle; although if we want to use them as a percussion element... that's valid too.
As I say, anything goes if we have it under control (I know the purists will be stabbing me as they read this, but personally there are certain things that don't bother me at all and, what's more, I'd say I like them). This is the case with drums: as a general rule, the tendency is to capture only the individual element so that it interferes as little as possible with the channel of another element (the toms, for example), but I like them to bleed, even the squeaks of other parts, like the kick pedal and the various hardware on the different pieces; I find it interesting and it amuses me, and there are even certain moments when I love it (now they'll really kill me). But, as I say, it's just a matter of trying things and deciding what to capture in the recording and what not to. Everything will depend on the type of music we're going to record.
Personally, on a rock recording I leave in all the junk that gets in from anywhere, I mean on drums and guitars; on more ballad-type recordings, however, I don't, because those have to be left squeaky clean. But, as I say, these are just personal observations and I certainly don't mean to offend anyone, so all of this is based on my own judgment, and everyone will have to explore and, most importantly, find their own concept and their own sound.
Therefore, when working, we have to keep in mind the environment we're operating in, so we can get our bearings and leave as little room as possible for error (and there are errors), since they can sometimes cost us dearly.
Studio recording
Preparations
There are many parameters we need to consider when getting a recording underway. One of them is the choice of microphones, and here there's plenty to go around, because it's like a never-ending story. While there are some "classics" we all know very well, and I'll just mention two examples, the Neumann U67 or the AKG C12, there are also other brands that are valid and that we need to keep in mind, because many times we won't have those available. I insist, and I'll never tire of repeating it: you have to try everything you can get your hands on! Because only then will we be able to find the right mic for the sound we're looking for.
Important links in the chain from the sound source to our ears are, and here I'll make a short list: connectors, cables, the patch bay, preamps and the medium we record onto.
Very often we don't give any importance to each of these elements, and yet each one, and the interaction between them, is what makes our original sound source get captured faithfully (which is how it should be). Later, if we want, we can add coloring to get this or that sound but, for now, our duty is to start from that foundation.
If one of the elements in the chain isn't doing its job, it's better to discard it and move on to another, so we don't drive ourselves crazy trying to figure out why, with a good mic and good monitors, the sound we're recording isn't good. If we pay special attention to this process, the result will be just as we envisioned it at the start of the session.
In the studio and live, we use more or less the same techniques, but the results vary, in many cases surprisingly. Many of us try to work as both live and studio engineers, but personally, when I'm on tour and go into the studio, I have a hard time getting used to the monitors, because my ears are battered by the sound pressure, and that makes me uncomfortable, since I don't perceive things the same way. It's good to take a few days to let the adrenaline of live pressure wear off, not only from the volume, which is very high, but also from the constant attention it requires, because a tenth of a second lost is gone and there's no way to go back; in the studio, however, we can always, or almost always, go back and fix the mistake.
The choice of mics, and their placement, are very similar. Many of the microphones used in the studio are also used live, for example the Shure SM 57, the Sennheiser MD 421 or the AKG 451, to name just a few.
Placement is a bit different in that there are many variables that come into play, such as the proximity of guitar amps, keyboards, percussion, reflections, etc., which often force us to change angles that are correct in theory but differ in practice.
Live mics suffer much more than studio mics because they're exposed to all kinds of weather, such as sun, rain, cold, humidity, dust, etc. For this reason, mics should be retired after a tour (although in reality that's not the case). Studio mics, on the other hand, are always kept out of the elements, and they last much longer.
There are other elements we also need to consider when recording (and they've been around since the early days of recording): acoustic panels, wonderful inventions! They'll also help us define the sound and make recordings with several musicians in the same room, if that's what the situation calls for. Of course, they also help us shape the sound picked up by the mic or by the room mics.
It's important to have everything set up and in perfect working order when the musicians or the artist arrive, since it's not pleasant to be about to start a recording, realize something isn't working and have to make everyone wait, creating a state of nervousness that only ruins everything.
Another important topic is the engineer's "ATTITUDE" in making the people who are going to record feel good. Recordings have often failed because that little bit of psychology needed to "connect" with people and help them relax was missing. Many "old dogs" are no longer intimidated by stepping into a fishbowl and playing their notes, but for many people being behind a glass window is traumatic, because they feel like a little animal in the zoo and have a really hard time, to the point that some aren't able to continue and the recording has to be canceled and someone else called in. Many times, with that small "miraculous" touch of confidence we give them, we can get the best out of them and, in the end, we get the right result and achieve our goal.
Often it will depend on us whether a performance is brilliant or just another one. We have to manage to draw out all the feeling it can give us, since whether everything we have as zeros and ones on our hard drive is believable or not will depend, very much so, on our final mix.
We could go on much longer about this, but everyone has to reflect on their own and recognize whether they're prepared to face this and many other aspects that, over time, will allow them to stay in the business, or not. Because let's not forget that, besides being a good engineer, you have to be a good person, since our services will be sought out for one side as much as the other and, of course, the two go hand in hand. Nobody wants a super engineer who's a jerk, just as nobody wants a nice person with no knowledge; so you have to work in both directions. Besides, it feels so good to have the knowledge and not be a "pain in the neck"... Anyway, everyone is who they are, and that can't be fixed with any plug-in.
Well, that's all we'll cover for now. And I insist that everything set out here is nothing more than a friendly, personal commentary. Thank you.
