It Is What Is In Front Of The Microphone That Counts...

It is very easy in this day of technology and avarice of equipment to forget about what is most important. The artist. Spending the time to get the right take and to make the artist feel at ease and confident will get far greater results than "fixing" it later.

There is no perfection. Only great moments. Catching that moment is far more critical than what microphone you have. "Does the take feel honest?" "Do I believe it?" These are the questions to ask first.

I love gear and technique as much as any other engineer/producer, but this has got to be second or third place to the performance.