"It's also ironic that in the old days of tape and tape hiss and vinyl records and surface noise, we were always trying to get records louder and louder to overcome that"

This quote by T-Bone Burnett talks to the irony of the past and present of music production. In the past, when records were made with tape and vinyl, the goal was to make them as loud as possible to conquer the hiss and surface area noise. This was done to make the music sound better and more pleasurable. Nevertheless, in the present day, the objective is to make records quieter and more vibrant, as loudness is no longer the primary objective. This is ironic due to the fact that it is the reverse of what was carried out in the past. It is also ironic since the innovation utilized to make records has actually advanced significantly, yet the objective is to make them quieter. This quote talks to the advancement of music production and how the objectives have changed with time. It is a tip that technology is constantly changing which the objectives of music production need to also change in order to keep up with the times.