Recording Studio Flashcards
When and where was recorded music started?
USA in 1877
How long was the acoustic era for?
1877-1925
Who invented the gramophone?
Thomas Edison
How does the gramophone work?
It was a large device which consisted of a piece of tin-foil that was wrapped around a wax cylinder placed in the middle. A short message was bellowed into the piece on one side of the cylinder while a handle at the side was turned simultaneously. Inside this piece was a needle and the sound would make the needle shake or vibrate and these vibrations would go through the needle and make a line, or groove, into the tin-foil. A needle placed on the other side of the device would play back what had just been recorded and thus recorded s
What were the problems of using the gramophone?
- Favoured loud instruments.
- The music was quite grainy as a result of the distortion that was created when the instruments were being recorded.
- If the wax got too hot or too cold the music would freeze or melt.
When was the electrical era?
1925-1945
Who proposed the idea of using electricity to record sound?
Thomas Edison, he attached a small stylus to the diaphragm of a telephone receiver, let a telephone signal vibrate the stylus, and used these vibrations to cut the groove.
Who developed the condenser microphone?
E. C. Wente at Bell Labs in 1916
What were the positives of using a condenser microphone?
The quality of the recordings increased because of the increased frequency range of the microphones which meant that instruments didn’t need to be played so loud and there was a decrease in the grainy sound which is heard in music from the acoustic era.
What instruments were introduced to pop music as a result of the microphones used in electrical era?
The Theremin and Hammond organ in music because now the microphones could pick up the sounds.
What other positives came from the electrical era?
The electrical era also started multi-channelling recording.
All instruments in bands could now be heard properly because multiple microphones could be recorded at once.
Where did the magnetic era originate?
In Germany in 1945
What new additions came to music as a result of the magnetic era?
- Vinyl replaced reel to reel tape
- Stereo recording
- Stereo imaging/ Panning
What fundamental shifts happening in the recording studio during magnetic era?
Artists were now creating music just to be recorded as opposed to before when artists were creating their music to be played live.
What mediums did music move to during the digital era?
- Hard-drives
- Cd’s
- Tapes
