For gigging, I need a couple of channels. I don't get overdrive from a pedal. I like the tube distortion on my amp.
If I was in a band where all the guitar parts were distorted, or played jazz with a clean tone all the time, I wouldn't need two channels. For what I currently do, I need at least two. I like that my Genz Benz El Diablo 60 allows me some footswitchable variations on the distortion channel.
For recording, it doesn't make a difference. I'd prefer using one channel high end boutique amps to record.
If I was a big famous guitarist, I'd have a 3 amp rig, with switching to go between a Marshall for crunch, a Fender for clean, and something else for leads. I'd have a bigger stage to put all that stuff on, and a road crew to set all that stuff up too.
