But some great records are are being made with today’s technology and there are still great artists among us. Likewise there are artists today who are so reliant on modern technology, they wouldn’t have emerged when recording was more organic.

Visconti is weighing the perennial debate between “organic” recording practices (live takes, limited editing, fewer tracks) and the expansive possibilities of digital production. He argues against simple nostalgia: modern tools can enable genuinely great records and do not preclude artistry. At the same time, he notes that technology can be constitutive rather than merely assistive—some contemporary artists’ styles depend on studio manipulation, editing, or sound design to such a degree that they might not have been able to develop in earlier eras. The quote ultimately frames technology as a creative environment that both reveals talent and shapes what kinds of talent can exist.