Im from the close your eyes and listen school of thought.....
what do you hear?... it's either good or bad...all this trying to fudge what someone plays and how they play it is of no consequence when your eyes are closed & you let your ears make the decision. Bottom line if your not playing a SINGLE solo instrument "without any automation" your just an operator of the machine your using to generate some kind of sound...stripped or full version..people have been lip syncing for decades it's nothing new, I personally don't use this method but, there are circumstances when it makes sense...you see it on shows, and stages all over the world & on TV many times...vocal harmony units is another form of automated singing also......musicians do care a bit more of what they do sometimes too hard on themselves.....but the people listing mostly don't care either way....if it SOUNDS GOOD is what is absorbed and enjoyed or not. So in conclusion I will always close my eyes ....listen......and absorb......my personal opinion of "what I hear" is my prerogative. Have a nice day I just finished a Fresh Mixed Garden Salad with Extra Virgin Olive oil & Aged Balsamic..soooo good ...now I'm off to another gig this afternoon,...fyi....all live styles full blown arranger KB w/ vocals NH gig...... no BT/Smf,..
For me everyday is a different bag of tricks baby!