Recording Technology Flashcards
What were music productions in 1950?
Direct to tape mono recordings.
How did artists record music? (1950)
Complete performances in one take.
How was production and mixing done in the 1950s? Why was it limited? /3
Very little post production, sub mixing done live. Anything edited had to be applied to the whole take.
What machines were used in the 1950s? What was their output? How was a band normally separated? /3
Stereo tape machines, that made mono productions. The vocal would be recorded on one track and the rest of the band on another.
What possible basic editing was available in the 1950s? /2
Splicing of Tape; physically cutting the tape if there was an appropriate gap or section.
Where were recordings captured in the 1950s? With what kind of gear? /3
Live rooms, with small amount of microphones connected to a small mixing desk.
How were large ensembles captured in the 1950s?
Ambiant sound
How were recordings from 1964?
Early multitrack recording (1964- 1969)
How many tracks were recorded in 1964?
4 tracks
What re-recording technique could be used to record a single section of a track?
Dropping in / Dropping out.
How were drums recorded in 1964?
Several microphones for one channel
What is reduction mixing?
Recording music onto several tracks, mix them and record them to an empty on another tape machine.
Give one advantage and two disadvantages of reduction mixing?
+ infinite amount of tracks
- noise increased at every bounce
Analogue tapes if not synchronised had different speeds therefore affected the pitch of recording.
How many tracks could be simultaneously recorded by the end of the 1960s?
8 track and 16 track.
What recording method was available by 1968?
Large scale analogue multitrack. (1968-1995)
How many tracks could be recorded on large scale analogue multitracks?
16 and 24 tracks.
How did tape change in 1968?
It became 2inch.
How did recording studios have to change to adapt to large scale multitrack recordings? Give an example of a brand.
Large format mixing desks with built in dynamic processors, such as SSL and Neve.
What practice became the norm in large scale multitrack recording?
Overdubbing
How did songs change process in large scale multitrack recordings?
Arrangements could evolve during the production phase.
What did bigger tapes improve? /2
Synchronisation, sound quality.
How did recordings change in 1980?
Digital recording and sequencing. (1980 - present day)
How were recording formats digitalised in 1980?
Digital tapes. Machines had Analogue to Digital Converters (ADC)
What was the digital format?
Binary code.
How was digital recording miniaturised?
Hard disk audio recorders.
What is Moore’s Law?
Technology will half in size, price or become twice as powerful every two years.
How did early sequencers work?
Voltage controlled data that sends analogue information between synthesisers or drum machines.
How and when was MIDI invented?
1983 by Dave Smith of Sequential Circuits.
What is MIDI?
A language that sends pre-decided note combination data, sounds, or information about note length and velocity.
How were DAWs created?
Combination of digital audio recording and emerging technologies.
What recording format was available by 1996?
Digital audio workstations
