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Cirencester Deer Park School - Music Technology
Table of Contents
Recording Technology
Recording Technology
Analog recording is the process of recording of analog signals. This enables later playback of the recorded analog audio. Analog audio recording began with mechanical systems such as the phonautograph and phonograph.
Analogue Signal- A microphone converts audio energy in to electrical pulses. These signals can be passed down a cable in to a mixing desk, they are then amplified, then they can be routed to speakers or headphones.
Digital Signal- The analog signal is sampled and converted in to digital information. The process is called A/D conversion (analogue to digital). Digital audio can then be processed by a DAW.
Magnetic Tape- is a sound recording and reproduction device that records and plays back sounds usually using magnetic tape for storage, often referred to as reel-to reel. It was developed in the 1930s and was the main form of recording technology in recording studios until digital recording in the late 1980s. Magnetic tape started as stereo, more tracks were added to the tape allowing 4 track recording, then 8 and 16 tracks. This allowed much more multi-track recording.
Analogue Tape Recording- The tape that is used is covered in magnetised particles. As the tape passes through the machine it can either be erased,recorded onto, played back. These are known as heads on a tape machine.
The Digital Audio Stationary Head or DASH standard is a reel-to-reel, digital audio tape format introduced by Sony in early 1982 for high-quality multitrack studio recording and mastering, as an alternative to analog recording methods. DASH is capable of recording two channels of audio on a quarter-inch tape, and 24 or 48 tracks on 1⁄2-inch-wide (13 mm) tape on open reels of up to 14 inches. The data is recorded on the tape linearly, with a stationary recording head, as opposed to the DAT format, where data is recorded helically with a rotating head, in the same manner as a VCR.
ADAT- (Alesis Digital Audio Tape) is a magnetic tape format used for the recording of eight digital audio tracks onto the same S-VHS tape used by consumer VCRs (video cassette recorder). Video cassettes were what films were played back on before the DVD came along!
PCM (pulse code modulation)- Is a method used to digitally represent sampled analog signals. It is the standard form of digital audio in computers, compact discs, digital telephony and other digital audio applications. In a PCM stream, the amplitude of the analog signal is sampled at uniform intervals, and each sample is quantized to the nearest value within a range of digital steps.
Although this technology was invented in 1938 it's application in music recording came much later.
In 1967, the first PCM recorder was developed by NHK's research facilities in Japan. In 1972 Denon released an 8 track digital recorder.
Early DAWs- By the late 1980s, a number of consumer-level computers such as the MSX (Yamaha CX5M), Apple Macintosh, Atari ST and Commodore Amiga began to have enough power to handle digital audio editing. Engineers used Macromedia's Soundedit, with Microdeal's Replay Professional and Digidesign's Sound Tools and Sound Designer to edit audio samples for sampling keyboards like the E-mu Emulator II and the Akai S900. Soon, people began to use them for simple two-track audio editing and audio mastering.
Late 1980s
Here are some good videos that talk about the development of tape recording and how it works, definitely worth a watch!
Chapter 1 Introduction
Chapter 1 Introduction
Chapter 2 History of Tape Recording
Chapter 2 History of Tape Recording
Chapter 3 How Tape Recording works
Chapter 3 How Tape Recording works
A synthesiser (also spelled synthesizer) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesisers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and frequency modulation synthesis. These sounds may be altered by components such as filters, which cut or boost frequencies; envelopes, which control articulation, or how notes begin and end; and low-frequency oscillators, which modulate parameters such as pitch, volume, or filter characteristics affecting timbre. Synthesisers are typically played with keyboards or controlled by sequencers, software or other instruments, and may be synchronised to other equipment via MIDI.
Here is a video demo of the Moog System 55 which was developed in 1973.
Analog Synthesiser
The Minimoog is an analog synthesiser first manufactured by Moog Music between 1970 and 1981. Designed as a more affordable, portable version of the modular Moog synthesiser, it was the first synthesiser sold in retail stores. It was first popular with progressive rock and jazz musicians and found wide use in disco, pop, rock and electronic music. Production of the Minimoog stopped in the early 1980s after the sale of Moog Music.
Here is a great video about the development of the Minimoog
The earliest analog synthesizers in the 1920s and 1930s, such as the Trautonium, were built with a variety of vacuum-tube (thermionic valve) and electro-mechanical technologies. After the 1960s, analog synthesisers were built using operational amplifier (op-amp) integrated circuits, and used potentiometers (pots, or variable resistors) to adjust the sound parameters.
Analog synthesizers also use low-pass filters and high-pass filters to modify the sound. While 1960s-era analog synthesisers such as the Moog used a number of independent electronic modules connected by patch cables, later analog synthesisers such as the Minimoog integrated them into single units, eliminating patch cords in favour of integrated signal routing systems.
Digital Synthesiser
In 1983, Yamaha released the first commercially successful digital synthesizer, the Yamaha DX7.Based on frequency modulation (FM) synthesis developed by the Stanford University engineer John Chowning, the DX7 was characterized by its "harsh", "glassy" and "chilly" sounds, compared to the "warm" and "fuzzy" sounds of analog synthesis. The DX7 was the first synthesizer to sell more than 100,000 units and remains one of the bestselling in history. It was widely used in 1980s pop music.
Sampler
A sampler is an electronic or digital musical instrument which uses sound recordings (or "samples") of real instrument sounds (e.g., a piano, violin, trumpet, or other synthesizer), excerpts from recorded songs (e.g., a five-second bass guitar riff from a funk song) or found sounds (e.g., sirens and ocean waves). The samples are loaded or recorded by the user or by a manufacturer. These sounds are then played back by means of the sampler program itself, a MIDI keyboard, sequencer or another triggering device (e.g., electronic drums) to perform or compose music. Because these samples are usually stored in digital memory, the information can be quickly accessed. A single sample may often be pitch-shifted to different pitches to produce musical scales and chords.
Early Samplers using analog tape
Prior to computer memory-based samplers, musicians used tape replay keyboards, which store recordings on analog tape. When a key is pressed the tape head contacts the moving tape and plays a sound. The Mellotron was the most notable model, used by a number of groups in the late 1960s and the 1970s, but such systems were expensive and heavy due to the multiple tape mechanisms involved
Digital Samplers
Since the 1980s,samplers have been using pulse-code modulation (PCM) for digital sampling. The first PCM digital sampler was Toshiba's LMD-649, created in 1981 by engineer Kenji Murata.
Software Samples
In the 1990s and 2000s the increases in computer power and memory capacity have made it possible to develop software applications that provide the same capabilities as hardware-based units. These are typically produced as plug-in instruments
The Akai MPC60 digital sampler was produced from 1988 onwards. It combines sampling and sequencing functions, allowing users to record portions of sound, modify them and play them back as sequences.
Drum Machine-A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument that creates percussion sounds, drum beats, and patterns. In 1959, Wurlitzer released the Side Man, which generates sounds mechanically by a rotating disc, similar to a music box. A slider controls the tempo (between 34 and 150 beats per minute). Sounds can also be triggered individually through buttons on a control panel. A key difference between such early machines and more modern equipment is that they use sound synthesis rather than digital sampling in order to generate their sounds. For example, a snare drum or maraca sound would typically be created using a burst of white noise whereas a bass drum sound would be made using sine waves or other basic waveforms. This meant that while the resulting sound was not very close to that of the real instrument, each model tended to have a unique character. For this reason, many of these early machines have achieved a certain "cult status" and are now sought after by producers for use in production of modern electronic music, most notably the Roland TR-808.
MIDI- is a technical standard that describes a communications protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers, and related audio devices for playing, editing, and recording music.
A single MIDI cable can carry up to sixteen channels of MIDI data, each of which can be routed to a separate device. Each interaction with a key, button, knob or slider is converted into a MIDI event, which specifies musical instructions, such as a note's pitch, timing and loudness.
1983
Plate Reverb- uses an electromechanical transducer (converts energy from one form to another, in this case sound waves to electrical pulses), similar to the driver in a loudspeaker, to create vibrations in a large plate of sheet metal. The plate's motion is picked up by one or more contact microphones which can be added to the original "dry" signal. Plate reverb was introduced in the late 1950s by Elektromesstechnik.
An effects unit or effects pedals- are electronic devices that alter the sound of a musical instrument or other audio source through audio signal processing.
Common effects include distortion/overdrive, often used with electric guitar in electric blues and rock music; dynamic effects such as volume pedals and compressors, which affect loudness; filters such as wah-wah pedals and graphic equalizers, which modify frequency ranges; modulation effects, such as chorus, flangers and phasers; pitch effects such as pitch shifters; and time effects, such as reverb and delay, which create echoing sounds and emulate the sound of different spaces.
Dolby Noise Reduction- is one of a series of noise reduction systems developed by Dolby Laboratories for use in analog audio tape recording.
Dolby noise reduction is a form of dynamic pre-emphasis employed during recording, plus a form of dynamic de-emphasis used during playback, that work in tandem to improve the signal-to-noise ratio. The signal-to-noise ratio is simply how large the music signal is compared to the low level of tape noise with no signal.
FM Radio- is the method of radio broadcasting that uses frequency modulation (FM). Invented in 1933 by American engineer Edwin Armstrong, wide-band FM is used worldwide to transmit high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio.
Vinyl Record- The vinyl record is a flat disc with an inscribed, spiral groove. The groove usually starts near the outside of the disc and ends near the centre of the disc. At first, the discs were commonly made from shellac, (a resin secreted by a bug!) starting in the 1940s polyvinyl chloride became common, hence the name vinyl used for these records. Vinyl records were played by a stylus sitting in the cut groove and picking on the vibrations.
LP (long play record)- This became the standard format for album recordings in by the 1950s/60s. You could fit about 25mins of music on each side (yes you did have to turn it over!) it span around at 33 1/3 rpm.
Multi-Track recording- This allows recording engineers to record each instrument or vocal take separately. Separate tracks, in turn, give the mixing engineer more scope to sculpt the tone and balance the levels of each individual track. Perhaps more importantly, it makes it possible to re-do a bad take. In 1963, The Beatles recorded I Want to Hold Your Hand on a 4-track recorder at EMI Studios. The Beach Boys were also using 4-track technology in America, the whole world noticed the technological advancement.
The Compact Cassette- Is an analog magnetic tape recording format for audio recording and playback. The Compact Cassette technology was originally designed for dictation machines, but improvements in fidelity led to it replacing the stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel tape recording in most non-professional audio applications by the mid-1970s. It was replaced by the CD.
The Sony Walkman- is a brand of portable audio players manufactured and marketed by Japanese technology company Sony since 1979. The original Walkman was a portable cassette player and its popularity made "walkman" an unofficial term for personal stereos of any producer or brand. By 2010, when production stopped, Sony had built about 200 million cassette-based Walkmans.
The compact disc (CD)- is a digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. In August 1982, the first compact disc was manufactured. It was then released in October 1982 in Japan and branded as Digital Audio Compact Disc.
The iPod- was a series of portable media players and multi-purpose mobile devices designed and marketed by Apple Inc.The first version was released on October 23, 2001, about 8+1⁄2 months after the Macintosh version of iTunes was released. Apple sold an estimated 450 million iPod products as of 2022. Apple discontinued the iPod product line on May 10, 2022. At over 20 years, the iPod brand is the oldest to be discontinued by Apple
Napster- was a peer-to-peer file sharing application. It originally launched on June 1, 1999, with an emphasis on digital audio file distribution. Audio songs shared on the service were typically encoded in the MP3 format. As the software became popular, the company ran into legal difficulties over copyright infringement. It ceased operations in 2001 after losing a wave of lawsuits and filed for bankruptcy in June 2002. At its peak, the Napster service had about 80 million registered users.
MP3- (formally MPEG-1 Audio Layer III or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III) is a coding format for digital audio developed largely by the Fraunhofer Society in Germany. With regard to audio compression (the aspect of the standard most apparent to end-users, and for which it is best known).
MP3 uses lossy data-compression to encode data, this allows a large reduction in file sizes when compared to uncompressed audio. The combination of small size and acceptable fidelity led to a boom in the distribution of music over the Internet in the mid- to late-1990s
1984
Apple Macintosh first computer-it transformed the computing industry and ultimately it actually, genuinely did change the world. You can trace the history of the screen you're reading this on all the way back to the very first Macintosh.
1992
First Touch Screens- In 1991–1992, the Sun Star7 prototype PDA implemented a touchscreen with inertial scrolling. In 1993, IBM released the IBM Simon the first touchscreen phone.
1995
Solid-State Drive (SSD)- is a solid-state storage device that uses integrated circuit assemblies to store data, typically using flash memory. In comparison to hard disk drives and similar electromechanical media which use moving parts, SSDs are typically more resistant to physical shock, run silently, and have higher input/output rates and lower latency.[
Hollow Bodied Electric Guitars
Hollow Bodied Electric Guitars
Below is a picture of a hollow bodied Gretsch guitar, famous players of this type of guitar were Eddie Cochran, Chet Akins, B-B King. The advantages of this early type of electric guitar was that it could be used with a guitar amplifier to make it louder. The guitars had pickups which were which were small electro-magnetic devices that that converted the vibrations of the guitar strings into an electrical signal that could be amplified.
One of the first commercially successful hollow body electric guitars was the Gibson ES-150, which was introduced in 1936.
The problem with these guitars is that they would suffer from feedback when turned up very loud. One solution to this problem was to make an electric guitar that wasn't hollow but had a solid body instead.
Solid Body Electric Guitars
Solid Body Electric Guitars
Fender Stratocaster
First Electric Guitar- Many experiments with electrically amplifying the vibrations of a string instrument were made dating back to the early part of the 20th century. One of the first solid-body guitars was invented by Les Paul. Gibson did not present their Gibson Les Paul guitar prototypes to the public, as they did not believe the solid-body style would catch on.
Gibson Les Paul
The first mass-produced solid-body guitar was Fender Esquire and Fender Broadcaster (later to become the Fender Telecaster), first made in 1948, five years after Les Paul made his prototype. Solid body electric guitar used pickups and didn't make much sound until they were plugged in, this makes them different to hollow guitars.
Bass Guitars
Bass Guitars
There was a transition in the 1950s from upright double basses to the bass guitar. The bass guitar had several advantages.
-Easier to play so this allowed bassists to play faster and develop different playing techniques (such as slap bass, hammer-ons, pull-offs)
-Easier to amplify and add different effects to it (double basses had the same issues as hollow electric guitars)
-Easier to transport
Guitar Amplifiers
Guitar Amplifiers
A guitar amplifier (or amp) is an electronic device or system that strengthens the electrical signal from a pickup on an electric guitar, bass guitar, or acoustic guitar so that it can produce sound through one or more loudspeakers, which are typically housed in a wooden cabinet.
Guitar amplifiers can also modify an instrument's tone by emphasising or de-emphasising certain frequencies, using equaliser controls, which function the same way as the bass and treble knobs on a home stereo, and by adding electronic effects; distortion (also called "overdrive") and reverb are commonly available as built-in features.
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