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Direct-to-tape mono recording (c. 1930-1963)

• In the 30s, entire performances were recorded live; the engineer would either place a microphone in the room to capture the overall sound of the ensemble or individually mic instruments into a mixer and send to mono tape
• Because it was common for artists to make mistakes, many takes were recorded and the best one was picked
• It was rare to combine different takes; this happened sometimes if there was silence / pauses in the 1950s
• Engineers would move microphone(s) to change the balance / ’mix’; once on the tape, little could be changed
• Ambience etc… controlled by the sound of the live room so a focus on good recording techniques was common
• In the 50s, two-track tape was available in some studios leading to recording backing track / vocals on two tracks
• The sound: tape hiss with poor signal to noise ratio and indistinct balance; muddiness / mid-heavy / lack of HFs and clarity in EQ; limited tracks so drums fall back in the mix; vinyl crackle audible sometimes.

Early multitrack recording (c. 1964-1969)

• The ability to ‘bounce down’ led to more layers being recorded; drums lacked clarity but were improved from direct-to-tape mono; could ‘drop in’ and ‘drop out’ of a recording
• Polarised panning using early stereo technology; sub-mixing allowed for more complex and ambitious recordings
• Increasing track counts at the end of the 1960s (8/16 track recorders more common)
• Tape used creatively (e.g. changing pitch, cutting up bounced versions, Beatles)
• The sound: hiss still present / layered up because of bouncing down; limited tracks still so some masking; more FX and experimentation because of multitracking; polarised panning with early stereo releases; lacking in high and low frequencies – mid-heavy but less so than direct-to-mono

Large scale analogue multitrack recording (c. 1968-1995)

• More tracks leading to more clarity, more chance of experimentation and more artistic / musical freedom
• High quality recording equipment (e.g. SSL / Neve) and high production standards – some very good recordings
• Common for arrangements to evolve during production rather than being final before starting recording
• The sound: increased clarity (better frequency response and dynamics for individual instruments) because of more tracks being available; multiple mics and experimentation; track count didn’t matter as much; can be challenging to avoid a build up of hiss on lots of overdubs, hence Dolby; extensive layering and overdubbing ; some electronic instruments e.g. synths/drum machines so use of DI techniques common.

Digital recording (c. 1980 – present day)

• Use of digital audio tape (DAT); initially for mastering but later for multitracking (DASH) / ADAT
• Requires analogue-to-digital conversion and vice versa (ADC / DAC)
• Early MIDI control using the Atari; other synths and drum machines used CV / gate systems
• Use of hardware digital recorders – but more difficult editing because of small screens and fiddly controls
• The sound:  less hiss; brighter mixes with better high frequency response; repetitive loops which often go on throughout a section or entire piece; sequencing meaning layers of synths and drum machines were common; the rise of digital sampling, but with lo-fi samples because of the limited disk space; quality improved in the 90s.

DAWs and emerging technologies (c. 1996 to present day)

• DAWs were initially limited by computer speeds, hard drive space and memory; nowadays capable of essentially limitless layering, track count and use of software instruments and plugins
• Excellent clarity / flawless capture; but some engineers, producers and musicians prefer ‘analogue warmth’
• Rise of the high quality bedroom studio – gaining broadly comparable results to high end studios
• Emulations and reproductions of classic equipment as plugins / samples
• The sound: flawless performances; these might sound over-processed but it’s possible to achieve a more natural sound too; flex time and pitch correction with unlimited editing; lots of layering; there might be endless guitar overdubs or 10s of vocal takes to give a thick sound; low and high frequency heavy masters.

Revision checklist

The history and development of recording technology

Direct-to-tape mono recording (c. 1930-1963)

Early multitrack recording (c. 1964 – 1969)

Large-scale analogue multitrack (c. 1969-1995)

Digital recording and sequencing (c. 1980 – present day)

Digital audio workstations and emerging technologies (c. 1996 – present day)

Software and hardware: digital

The differences between digital and analogue recordings

The advantages / disadvantages of digital hardware / software

Digital sequencing and digital audio workstations

Core and advanced functions of a digital audio workstation

Digital recording and sampling hardware

Digital multitrack formats

Sampling with limited available memory

Digital consumer formats

CD; mp3 / m4a

Compressed and uncompressed digital audio / lossy and lossless

Hardware: analogue

The differences between analogue and digital recordings

The advantages / disadvantages of analogue hardware / software

Tape machines

Editing and splicing

Multitrack tape formats

Analogue consumer formats

Vinyl; cassette tape