In the earlier days of audio recording when sessions could not be saved on a computer, engineers had to keep meticulous notes in order to recall a mix to continue with production. It was very tedious and time consuming and the results were not always perfect. In the modern era of digital audio recording all settings are saved every time the session is closed and recall has become something that gets taken for granted. Although this development has been revolutionary and empowering for audio engineers and home recording enthusiasts alike… it comes with a cost. The powerful tool of note keeping has become all but forgotten. Tracking information such as which microphone was used on the lead vocal, what microphone configuration was used on the drum kit, or was the bass recorded direct, and if so was the DI active or passive, etc. – these are the kinds of details that are useful to know when mixing and producing the tracks but is not stored in the digital workstation. If the drums were muted with a blanket or if a cheap cassette recorder was used as a room mic is also valuable information for an engineer to have. When a recording session is fresh these things are easy to remember, but after some time passes and new projects are started it becomes more difficult to retain production decisions that were made on previous sessions. That is why every recording engineer should have a recording log. It’s invaluable.
In addition to tracking notes, it is also wise to keep a record of the bit depth, the sample rate, the file format, the make and model of the computer, the operating system, and the version of the software used to record the session. Not to mention the plug-ins used that were crucial to the sound. No engineer should have to open a session just to obtain these specifications or spend hours sifting through all the plug-ins of an old session to get reacquainted with the construction of the mix. In the past it would have been logged.
The Audio Production Logbook is a tool that puts the power and wisdom of old school record keeping in the hands of the modern audio recordist.