ABSTRACT
The purpose of this chapter is to discuss a range of issues focusing on instrumentation and sound-sources in general within a recording. I start here simply because it is the sound-world set up by a track that frequently forms the point of entry for a listener, that first triggers a sense of recognition. Observations focus on what instruments sound like, how they work together, where they appear to be situated within the recording. There are three broad categories I shall discuss: functional layers, the soundbox and timbre. All these observations should lead to a series of questions: to what extent are they encountered in the track listened to; is the track consistent in its answer, or does it change; are there moments of surprise? It is most important to recognize, however, that what I am outlining here are not prescriptive rules, but generalized descriptions. Frequently, a particular track will, in whole or in part, challenge the assumptions it seems to encourage us to make. Such a challenge is a fundamental contributor to its effect.
