AET 1380 Lecture 13

An Introduction To Recording Techniques in the 1940’s - 1950’s

Review of the 1940’s

Techniques introduced in the late 30’s/ 1940s

Close miking – capturing direct sound only Multiple miking - – to facilitate direct miking of each

instrument Sound isolation – using acoustic barriers - baffles, gobos, etc

What miking techniques were used in the 1920s? 1910s?

Review of the 1940’s

Listening – Ambient v.s. Direct/Mutiple Miking

Puttin On The Ritz (1930)

Embraceable You (1940’s)

New Developments in the 1950s #1 - Switch from direct-to-disc

recording format to magnetic tape recording format (analog recording)

First tape machines in 1950’s were monoaural (mono)

#2 - Introduction of high quality condenser microphones

(#1/2 brought back from WWII and taken from Germans)

New Developments in the 1950s #3 - Introduction of multi-track recording into commercial

recordings

Musical sound sources separated into discrete/separate tracks on one piece of magnetic tape where relative balances between instruments can be altered.

50s 2 tracks- 3 tracks – 4 tracks How would you assign?

60s 8 tracks – 16 tracks

70s 24 tracks -32 tracks

Demo: Beatles, Marvin Gaye, Doobie Bro’s, Queen, Killers

New Developments in the 1950s

#3 - Introduction of multi-track recording into commercial recordings

Bussing tracks to a stereo output

Bouncing tracks

Demo 4 track bouncing in Pro Tools

1950s - A New Recording Philosophy

In the 1950s the old philosophy of “making a recording” turned into the philosophy of “creating a recording”

Creating an acoustic event rather than capturing it – Creating a feeling – Picasso, Van Gogh

Technology became an active participant in the studio!

Change In Recording Philosophy

"We have also sound-houses, where we practise and demonstrate all sounds, and their generation. We have harmonies which you have not, of quarter-sounds, and lesser slides of sounds. Diverse instruments of music likewise to you unknown, some sweeter than any you have, together with bells and rings that are dainty and sweet. We represent small sounds as great and deep; likewise great sounds extenuate and sharp; we make divers tremblings and warblings of sounds, which in their original are entire. We represent and imitate all articulate sounds and letters, and the voices and notes of beasts and birds. We have certain helps which set to the ear do further the hearing greatly. We have also divers strange and artificial echoes, reflecting the voice many times, and as it were tossing it: and some that give back the voice louder than it came, some shriller, and some deeper; yea, some rendering the voice differing in the letters or articulate sound from that they receive. We have also means to convey sounds in trunks and pipes, in strange lines and distances.

from THE NEW ATLANTIS, by FRANCIS BACON. (Written in 1626 )

1950’s -Technology created changes in the recording process

All steps (music composition, lyrics, arrangements, rehearsal) did not have to be done before studio

Compositions could now evolve and grow in the studio

Music could be edited – tape splicing

Was anything lost in the process??

Multitrack Recording and Les Paul

Les Paul – the originator of Multitrack, the Berliner of 1950s

In 1930 Developed first multi-instrumental performances by building up several guitar tracks on the inside and outside bands of an acetate disc.

Record companies could only see the novelty value. Paul had two disc machines and he would send tracks back and forth, adding a

new track each time. He would record a rhythm track on the first disc, then he would play

along with the rhythm track and lay the needle down on the second disc which would simultaneously record him playing along to the rhythm track. The second disc would now contain two guitar parts.

Watch Les Paul Demonstrates Multi-tracking vid

Multitrack Recording - Listening 1931- “The Cuban Love Song”, Opera Baritone Lawrence Tibbett became

first person to overdub. He sings the melody lead vocal while an overdubbed, or superimposed, image of him harmonizes the tenor range.

1947- "Lover," Les Paul overdubs with disc cutter system. Features eight guitar parts played in harmony. Also used effects.

1951 – “How High The Moon”. First commercial overdub on mono piece of tape. Bing Crosby brought him one of Ampex's new Model 300 mono tape recorders, Paul added a fourth head.

Recording the song in backwards order. He was recording up to 37 generations before he finished his recordings, but the quality would diminish with each pass.

Watch Les Paul Multitracking.mp4

Paul’s diagram for first multi-track tape machine

Multitrack Recording and Les Paul

1953 – Paul developed the first 8-track recorder, thus paving the way for the multi-track revolution that continues to this day.

In his spare time Les Paul approached Gibson (in the late '40s) with his ideas for a solidbody electric guitar, invented tape delay and close vocal miking.

Les Paul’s Studio

Les Paul’s Studio

More Developments in the 1950s

Reverb chamber

More Developments in the 1950s

Reverb plate

More Developments in the 1950s

Recording console (as we know it today)

More Developments in the 1950s

EQ and other signal processors