Abstract
This article investigates determined practices in the recording studio, which falsify certain diffused statements both about technology and sensing. More precisely, I show that studio equipment, rather than merely substituting for human functions, engages the user in a mediated activity that requires a special training of the senses. Moreover, I contrast reductionist definitions of technique, which in turn are often based on determinist, procedural and sight-centred interpretations of technology. Focusing on the professional figure of the sound engineer, and drawing from field research conducted in Berlin, Bologna and Trento, this case study elaborates the concept of sensorial balances in order to make sense of the acquisition of body techniques, paying particular attention to the impact of digitization on music making.