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Because the technology's so good now, they can take people who can't sing very well and make them sound good in the studio. In that sense, I can understand somebody saying the new technology is ruining the vintage vibe and taking some of the magic away. You don't have to be a good band to do a record anymore, and you don't have to play your instruments all that well because they can cover it up.

More bands seem to be recording songs part by part, but what are the advantages to recording a track live in the studio?

Cooper The White Stripes are a good example that you can still make records the old way if you want. I think the simpler the music is, the easier that is to do. Ben Harper's another example—I could imagine him recording with a full band for more of a roots vibe. Skillet's music is much more modern in sound and polished, so I like to focus more on the individual parts because you can get the drum part perfectly and the guitar part just the way you want it. If you're doing it as a whole band, you need to get it exactly right as a group without wanting to change it later. With the way we do it, you can always change the guitar chord later, or even the key of the song if you want.

But Skillet is a solid bunch of players, even without these editing methods. Does it offend you that a sloppy band can "cheat" and make such a crisp record?

Cooper It does take away some of the excitement I used to feel for music knowing that it's been manipulated. The reason why people like me hate American Idol so much is that I never wanted to think rock stars were "made." I always wanted to think they just had that special something. I hate the idea of artists being manufactured and of everybody liking you because you look or dress a certain way. It's taken away some of the artistry and authenticity of what makes rock n' roll exciting, and people abuse it to sell records. Nobody did that with Robert Plant, nobody did that with The Beatles, and my assumption is nobody did that with Gwen Stefani—she's just cool!

So do you personally have to make any special preparations before recording a take, or do you naturally dive in cold?

Cooper The latter is the case, though I wish I could say it's not, because that would make me sound more into what I was doing! (laughter) That's not to say I'm not prepared, but I've been doing this so long that I don't have to get myself in a mood. Because I spend so long writing the lyrics, I know what I'm saying and I feel passionate about it. At any given time, I've never felt dispassionate about it. I've heard weird stories about people who need to get in the mood by turning off the lights, burning candles, or dumping water on themselves like they're at a concert to get in the mood. That's just not me.

I noticed that after taking some time away from the vocal booth when you were recording "Yours to Hold," you dropped by the piano and began pounding out some chords and a lyric. Is that common for you to come up with ideas like that in the studio, or are they typically all written out on paper before a session?

Cooper It's usually always planned for me, but it's different for all writers of course. Like I said before, I get in a headspace for singing, and it's the same way for writing. In this case, I was working on something earlier and just felt like fleshing it out since I had a couple of spare minutes. You always hear stories at the end of a [recording session] about important songs being cut last minute. "Sweet Home Alabama" wasn't even going to be recorded, but in the last week, somebody at [Lynyrd Skynyrd's sessions] said it would be a big hit and they recorded it. At the end of any record, you always try to one up yourself.

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