Once upon a time the ART in Recording Artist had something to do with how creative the artist could be with a limited number of tracks and limited effects.  The ART was at least in part about the amazing things the artist could do with recording process using the standard instruments of the day.

These days we have unlimited tracks, unlimited effects, unlimited software instruments and very little ART.  Sure there are lots and lots of commercial recordings put out every year, but I’m not seeing the innovation, or the creative genius that was demonstrated when we only had 2, 4 or 8 tracks and a reverb, and flanger LOL.

In 2022 we have 500 track recordings, that use 30,40,50 effects, and dozens of software instruments with an infinite number of sounds, and we can’t get close to the recording genius of:

The Beatles
Earth Wind & Fire
Stevie Wonder
Jimmy Hendrix
Pink Floyd
Dream Theater
Aero Smith
Issac Hayes
Sting
Miles Davis
Led Zeppelin
Frank Zappa
Barry White
Chicago
Quincy Jones
Return To Forever
Prince
Genesis
Sly & The Family Stone

Most of the music these folks produced was done with less than
24 tracks LOL.

The ART in recording artist is not what it used to be.

Seems like now the ART is all about a race to see who can use the most tracks, plugins, and effects in a single song.

Maybe we should get back to the ART of recording performances in studios rather than the ART of constructing performances in DAWs.  LOL