Hamish Brown has a post up at List Film that looks at the documentaries Sound City and Side by Side.
Sound City, directed by Dave Grohl, looks at the analog vs. digital debate in the context of LA recording studio Sound City and what the technology shift means for music. Similarly, Side by Side, directed by Chris Keneally and hosted and co-produced by Keanu Reeves, considered similar issues as they applied to film-making.
In closing, Hamish starts with the following point and makes his case:
Although both Side by Side and Sound City purport to be about the transition from one technology to another, you get the impression that what’s being mourned instead here by some is the passing of a simpler time when people supposedly cared more, collaborated more and had more expertise – with the optional conclusion from this point being that a compromise in quality of future output is inevitable.
A good read, the article can be viewed here.