I know I have a tendency to give too much credit to the recordist. Good bands have vision, and shape there records not only through performance but by who they decide to work with, and how they approach recording.
Some folks have a more transparent impact on the bands they work with, other folks tend to have a certain sonic imprint that they leave on things.
If the artist makes this decision intelligently (or even not) then they've done far more to influence the direction of the record than is accomplished by picking out pres and mics-- and I think those are important choices too.
Granted, a lot of musicians don't know anything about recording. But some of the good ones can hear what's going on regardless of their lack of technical knowledge. Isn't that part of what DIY is all about?
