To add subtlety is to spend extra time, energy and money on an aspect of the project that (by definition) won’t be specifically recognized by most people. But subtlety can make all the difference.
‘Felt, not heard’ as we say when adding the fine details to a song.
The average listener doesn’t care about the top end of the snare, the vocal reverb decay time, the guitar panning, or the tambourine EQ…The average listener is simply asking, ‘Do I like this song?’
Subtlety, while expensive to add, increases the chances that their simple answer will be Yes.
