What irks me is that engineers have problems with the technique of recording band members solo. For years, it's been commonplace to record each instrument separately, yet many engineers cannot create a natural soundstage.
It takes proper mic'ing, then a good ear for mixing. For some reason, many modern rock and jazz recordings do not have any space between musicians, and an unrealistic positioning of the instruments; i.e., a jazz drum kit is not 10 feet wide, also if the bass player is on the left side, we should hear the sound from that side with spill-over to the right side.
(I know sometimes the producer is calling the shots).
IMO, it's a lack of the fundamental skills of music recording. The best engineers started as assistants to an experienced recording engineer.
It takes proper mic'ing, then a good ear for mixing. For some reason, many modern rock and jazz recordings do not have any space between musicians, and an unrealistic positioning of the instruments; i.e., a jazz drum kit is not 10 feet wide, also if the bass player is on the left side, we should hear the sound from that side with spill-over to the right side.
(I know sometimes the producer is calling the shots).
IMO, it's a lack of the fundamental skills of music recording. The best engineers started as assistants to an experienced recording engineer.