Yet, the symbol of the red light remains and should never be forgotten.  For me it was always a point of focus, an intensity of work that is hard to find outside of the audition.  The red light took away the humanity from the process, and I don't mean that as less musical experience, I mean that the red light took the place of the audience and since it wasn't a person listening (just a red light/microphone) it was less stressful.  I have always been more nervous for a live audience and its replacement by a red light was liberating.

My own personal weakness as a horn player has always been that I am not very consistent.  I have always found it difficult to play the same passage multiple times without error, or getting exactly the same articulation 10 times in a row.  You would think that recording would be a disaster for me because of the endless repetition of the same phrases.  Strangely, this is not the case.

If I knew the psychological reasons for this oddity I would bottle it and make millions.  Sadly, I have no idea why, but when the red light is on I find 3 or 4 layers of concentration which I normally cannot access.  I come back to the red light vs. audience idea because I think that is the reason.  Apart from the 80 colleagues on the stage there isn't anyone "listening."  No one is listening who paid money to hear us perform, my wife isn't in the audience, the managing director isn't in the audience, the concert isn't live on the radio for thousands to hear, etc...

I will attempt to find the "red light" during next season.  A point of reference without personification.  I suppose that it is like being hypnotized.  You focus on the swinging watch until you are completely relaxed.  These are techniques which I have come across before, but this seasons recording sessions have brought them back to the front of my mind.

As we all know focus, intensity of focus, disregarding all else, living in the moment are vital.  I recall an audition I took 23-24 years ago.  I had made it to the final and just before playing Beethoven 6 something crashed backstage. (a chair fell over, I think)  That noise was like a nuclear explosion.  It shattered my concentration which had carried me through the first two rounds.  After that moment I could not find the "red light" anymore and meekly finished the final round at a much lower quality level than I had achieved in the first two rounds.

Find the "red light" in you and focus on it.  Use it to your advantage.