Does anybody else have this?  I can do a bit almost perfectly 10 times in a row, but as soon as I hit the record button, sometimes it is like most of my brains just dribbled out of my ears.  Yeah, I know you almost always sound worse to yourself on recording, because you know right where to listen for every little bit that could have been done better, but I mean flubbing up stuff that is dead simple.

I found ways around it for recording an actual "take", like writing things out and keeping them clipped in easy line of sight and letting the recorder roll for a minute or two while running some easy scales or arpeggios, turn so I can't actually see the recorder scrolling, remember one can always do another take, etc. 

Where I run into it the worst is when I will be playing around with some ideas and I find something where i think "Hmm.. that was sorta tasty, I may want to develop that a bit."  So I'll pause and start up the recording software and suddenly all I seem to be able to do is "squeak, muff, flub". 

It's not like it happens all the time, and it pretty much has to be psychological/nerves.  (Or maybe there is a jinx on the "record" button, yeah, that's the ticket..) It is just annoying.  Considering how many hours I've spent recording over the years, it just seems ridiculous.

To quote the voice-over/narrative from an ancient TV series called the Dukes of Hazard, "Ever had one of those days when you can't even hit the ground with your hat?"

Part of it is just that I am new to the instrument with violin.  I've gone through a stage with every instrument I've learned to play, where I get so I can play ok, so long as nobody is around.  The second someone steps into the room, there goes my concentration. LOL  With the violin, I am still in the stages of having to keep almost constant awareness on the contact point where the bow meets the string, and having to remember to relax the hands and watch the posture and all that.

But the "Instant Idiot" thing happens sometimes even when I'm recording something like simple rhythm guitar, where I've played the instrument for most of my life.  I still write out a chord chart or lead sheet, and if there is anything like even a simple arpeggio, I'll scribble it out so it is there in case my brain goes "flatline" for a moment in the middle of the take.  With instruments I've gotten comfortable on, I don't usually have the same problem with playing in front of people as I can when I'm recording. 

I still think it is the record button.  The dang thing is a jinx. LOL