Why is direct monitoring a must for tracking live instruments?
Because if you're doing anything live which is vaguely rhythmic, even a 2-3ms delay in the headphones will totally put you off. It's like playing with a rubbish echo permanently on, and if you're a player who's used to compensating for bad equipment (or bad drummers) you'll probably screw the take as you'e trying to play along to what's in your ear, not what you're actually playing.
Because if you're doing anything live which is vaguely rhythmic, even a 2-3ms delay in the headphones will totally put you off. It's like playing with a rubbish echo permanently on, and if you're a player who's used to compensating for bad equipment (or bad drummers) you'll probably screw the take as you'e trying to play along to what's in your ear, not what you're actually playing.