Production History & Analysis

• Early Recording - Jazz (Tin Foil Phonograph)

  • In 1877 Thomas Edison developed the tin foil phonograph.
  • Consists of a sheet of tinfoil wrapped around a cylindrical drum, which is turned by a handle that rotates moving laterally.
  • As it moves it passes under a touching metal stylus attached to a diaphragm.
  • On the other side of the diaphragm is a mouthpiece, which when the sound waves are passed through causes the diaphragm to vibrate making the styles vary in pressure on the tinfoil, creating grooves.
  • The reported first recorded words were 'Mary had a little lamb'.
• Early Recording - Early 20th Century

  • Recorded on wax discs.
  • With no microphones or any electrical amplification, pianists in the early days would be instructed to play as loudly as possible and to restrict the use of the pedal when hands were close together.
  • If something went wrong during recording another 'take' was required and the whole song would have to be recorded again.
  • Very narrow band of frequencies could be recorded. (no brightness or warmth).
  • Lack of separation between instruments on wax disc recordings.
• Early Recording - Jazz and Blues

  • When jazz and blues came around the concept of a song was introduced.
  • Dixieland Jazz is the earliest form of jazz originating in New Orleans.
  • In 1925 the electric microphone (Carbon Microphone) was introduced.
  • Could record up to 6000Hz
  • Blues originated from rural areas of the Mississippi delta in America.
  • Primarily a vocal narrative style featuring solo voice, with instrumental accompaniment.
• Main Blues Figureheads:

  • Robert Johnson - Widely referred to as the king of the blues/delta blues and claims to have met the devil at the crossroads leading to him losing his mind.
  • Blind Lemon Jefferson - In 1926 the head of the Paramount's race division appealed to the country to find new blues talent and someone in Dallas wrote to them about the guy who played down by the railroad station. Paramount records that thought he sounded terrible but pursed selling a record of him anyway.
  • Bessie Smith - The first major big blues superstar.
• Early Recording - Blues:

  • The call-and-response (antiphony) in Blues Music originated from the call-and-response between the preacher and the audience.
  • In the music, the audience is replaced with the instrumental.
  • After the introduction of 12-bar blues, it was turned from a genre of sadness to happiness and humour.
  • Structure of 12 bar blues:
  • Standard 1,4,5 12 bar chord structure
  • Three phrases lyrical structure
  • Prominent use of blues notes(flat 3rd, 5th, 7th)
  • Melodic improvisation and ornamentation in vocals and lead instrument(s).
  • Use of walking bass line.
• Characteristics of Blues

  • Blues lyrics containing a number of three-line rhymed stanzas where each one contains a line which is repeated and concluding with a final line.
  • Harmony based on a repeating 12 bar blues chord progression.
  • Melody is strongly influenced by blues notes, having a bittersweet emotional impact.
  • Performers usually improvise instrumental solos with improvised 'fills' at the end of a sung line.
  • 'Bottleneck slide' - Consists of scraping a knife or glass bottleneck up the fretboard to simulate vocal moans or slides.
• Early Recording - Tape (Early 20th Century)

  • At the end of WW2, Jack Mullin discovered German Tape Technology of which he brought back 2 Magetophones and brought them to Bing Crosby at MGM Studios in 1947.
  • Crosby put forward $50,000 in a local electronics company to develop a production model (Ampex).
  • One of the first Ampex Model 200 recorders were given to Les Paul, who took the concept of audio manipulation to another level.
  • Les Paul is often referred to as the Father of multi-track recording and came to Ampex with the idea for the first multi-track recorders.
• Benefits of Multi-track recording:

  • Higher clarity of vocals.
  • Less bleed/spill from other instruments.
  • Better separation between instruments.
• Characteristics of Rock n Roll:

  • The name originated as a slang term for sex.
  • Originated in the US, particularly as a fusion of Jazz, R&B and Country in the early 50s.
  • Often based around a '12 bar' chord structure.
  • Strong backbeat - Kick: 1 & 3, Snare: 2 & 4.
  • Often use quick tempos (160bpm)
• Early Recording - Rock n Roll (50s)

  • Mono recording to 2 tracks.
  • Live recording direct to tape and mixing is done on the fly.
  • Slapback Delay
  • Poor quality of instrument capture due to mic positioning and spill.
  • Usually one mic for drums.
  • Loud guitars and drums and driving pre amps hard lead to tape saturation.
  • Use of Echo Chamber.
  • Vocals overdubbed to improve clarity.
  • 3 track recorders.
• Creation of Tape:

  • Tape was invented by Alan Blumlein in the 1930s.
• Instrumentation of Rock n Roll:

  • Vocals
  • Backing Vocals
  • Electric Guitar
  • Double Bass
  • Or Acoustic Bass
  • Electric Bass becomes more prominent later
  • Drums
  • Piano
  • Saxophone
  • Other Brass
• Cultural Impact of Rock n Roll:

  • Gave teenagers a sense of belonging
  • Not just music, absorbed via radio, record buying, jukeboxes and TV programs like ‘American Bandstand’.
  • Older generations referred to Rock n Roll as ‘The Devil’s Music’ as it defied social normalities.
  • First music genre to provoke major outrage.
• Slapback Delay - Sam Phillips (Sun Studios, Memphis):

  • A dry signal is sent from the mixing desk to the tape recorder to create the effect.
  • The output from this is sent back to the mixing desk and has a slight delayed interval, creating a 'slapback' effect.
  • The original signal and effect are recorded onto a second tape recorder to give the finished ‘slapback’ audio effect.
  • There are two ways to increase/decrease the time between delays:
  • Increase/decrease the distance between the recording head and the playback head.
  • Increase/decrease the speed of the tape recorder.
• Early Recording - Soul & Multi-tracking (1960s):

  • Some of the most successful R&B artists of the 50s were the ones who made it into the pop charts in the 1960s with ‘Soul’ numbers.
  • One such person was Ray Charles - Was a major force in the early development of soul music with his unique style (rich blend of gospel, rhythm and blues and Jazz).
  • The growth of multitrack recording allowed studios to record four layers of sound at separate points in time.
  • Phil Spector used this technology to create incredibly dense musical textures in his ‘Wall of Sound’.
• Instrumentation of Soul:

  • Drum Kit
  • Tambourine
  • occasional string sections
  • Bass (electric or acoustic)
  • Piano(sometimes organ instead of or in addition to piano)
  • Electric Guitar
  • A horn section
• Musical Features of Soul:

  • More varied chord changes (not just I,IV,V)than earlier pop music(i.e. blues, rock n roll etc.)
  • Call and response
  • More diverse song structures
  • Bridge
  • Middle 8
  • Syncopated bass lines and drum patterns (danceable feel)
  • ‘Chopped’ rhythmic guitar chords.
  • Dense musical textures.
  • Expressive vocal delivery
  • Many tracks featured two drummers instead of one with 3/4 guitar lines
• Main Soul Record Labels - Motown:

  • The sound was joyous, uplifting and confident and accompanied the Civil Rights movement.
  • Large orchestrations often used featuring string sections, horn sections etc.
  • Use of tambourines and hand claps
  • Very small studio with little room for amps.
  • Bass Guitars often DI'd
  • One of few to use limiting and EQ
  • Key Artists - Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, The Four Tops
• Main Soul Record Labels - Stax:

  • Produced Southern American Soul Music - mix of black and white musicians such as Mar-Keys and Booker T and the MGs.
  • Very different to Motown - earthier, bluesy feel. Pulsating & gritty. Smaller and less dense compared to Motown.
  • Key Artists - Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Isaac Hayes, Booker T and the MGs
• Main Soul Record Labels - Atlantic:

  • Entered into partnership with Stax = signed Aretha Franklin.
  • Big sound but not quite as dense as Motown.
  • Key Artists - Aretha Franklin, Percy Sledge.
• Additional Technology and Production - Soul

  • Development of close drum miking and overdubbed vocals.
  • Echo chambers and plate reverbs (EMT 140)
  • Classic compressors (Teletronix LA2A)
  • High quality recordings with clear vocals and frequency reproduction.
  • Stereo mixes, extreme panning
  • Hammer Organ (Fender Rhodes)
• Early Recording - Psychedelic Rock

  • Began in the UK in the 1960s.
  • The expanding use of drugs lead to the rise of the 'hippie' counterculture.
  • 4 & 8-track tape recorders used to layer sound, ability to edit and splice loops, reversing.
  • Slapback delay adapted.
  • Phasing and Flanging Effects.
  • Jimi Hendrix and Jeff Beck encouraged engineers to use effects pedals.
• Characteristics of Psychedelic Rock:

  • Developed from earlier 60s rock
  • Often inspired by Eastern Music
  • Musical structures tend to be free-form.
  • Drones and riffs are used as the basis of songs, rather than chord progressions.
  • Backbeat less prominent.
  • Lyrics refer to drug-influenced experiences.
• Modulation Effects - Chorus

  • Took its name as it made one instrument sound like a chorus of them.
  • Delays a copy of the original sound and plays it alongside the dry signal, creating the effect.
  • When an LFO is used to delay the signal by small, varying amounts pitch is effected, adds unheard vibrato to wet signal.
  • Simulates pitch and timing differences between singers and instruments.
• Modulation Effects - Phasing

  • Filters a signal by creating a series of peaks and troughs in the frequency spectrum determined by a number of 'All Pass Filters'.
  • Position of peaks is modulated so that they vary over time. creating a sweeping effect.
  • Often include a LFO.
  • Parameters - Width, Feedback, Mix.
• Modulation Effects - Flanging

  • Originally created using two tape recorders.
  • Combines two copies of the same signal, with the second delayed slightly, to produce a swirling effect.
• Instrumentation of Psychedelic Rock:

  • Electric Bass Guitar
  • Distorted/Overdriven Electric Guitar
  • Rock Organ
  • Mellotron
  • Ethnic Instrumentation - Sitar, Tabla
  • Tape Loops
  • Drum Kit & Additional Percussion
• Early Recording - Progressive Rock

  • By the end of the 1960s rock had taken on many diverse influences (avant-garde,jazz, world etc) that many musicians saw their work as a new art form.
  • Young musicians aimed to raise the status of rock by adding layers of complexity.
  • 8-16 track recorders allowing a much finer degree of control/manipulation of individual parts in a mix
  • Introducing Minimoog in 1971 meant musicians could use synthesis on stage.
  • Many of its proponents were classically trained & well-educated English Rock musicians.
• Characteristics of Progressive Rock:

  • Complex Structures,
  • Unusual time signatures.
  • Modal and/or chromatic scales used for sophistication.
  • Extended instrumental sections showcased virtuoso musicianship.
  • Lyrics referred to fantasy-like or futuristic themes.
  • Extended-length tracks, 15 minutes or more.
• Instrumentation of Progressive Rock:

  • Electric Bass Guitar
  • Electric Guitar (Overdrived/Distorted)
  • Rock Organ (Hammond)
  • Electric Piano (Wurlitzer and Rhodes)
  • Synth
  • Orchestral Sections
  • Tape Loops
  • Drum Kit/Additional Percussion
• Characteristics of Disco:

  • 4 to floor kick drum
  • Fast Tempo (140bpm)
  • Syncopated Bass
  • Rhythm guitar plays rapid funk riffs.
  • Synths
  • Lead Vocals and Backing Vocals (Good time party lyrics)
  • Key Artists - Chic, Diana Ross, Gloria Gaynor, Sister Sledge, Earth, Wind & Fire, The Bee Gees
• Early Recording - Disco:

  • by 1977 the first computerised mixing consoles were in production, allowing automation of mixes and an unprecedented level of sonic manipulation and control.
  • Origins and Influences
  • Emerged in New York (and Philadelphia) in the mid to late 1970s
  • Influenced by funk and soul music from earlier in the decade
  • Initially popular amongst the black and gay communities in New York. Became mainstream by end of the decade.
  • 12-inch vinyl singles improved reproduction of bass frequencies.
• Instrumentation of Disco:

  • Clean electric Guitar
  • Bass Guitar (slap)
  • Electric Piano/clavinet
  • Horn Section
  • String Section
  • Synths
  • Backing Singers
  • Drum Kit, Hand Claps & Additional Percussion
• Development of Production Techniques - Disco

  • Use of Compression to emphasise the 'punch' of rhythms.
  • Use of EQ to emphasise low and high ends of frequency spectrum (powerful bass and high end 'sparkle').
  • Tape loops, 'Stayin Alive' - Bee Gees.
• Development of Synthesisers - The Modular Moog (1965)

  • Most Moog Synthesisers were owned by universities or record labels and used to create soundtracks or jingles.
  • By 1970, only 28 owned by musicians.
  • The Moog was first used by experimental composers including Richard Teitelbaum, Dick Hymam and Wendy Carlos.
• Development of Synthesisers - Minimoog Model A(1969)

  • Built in 1969
  • More closely resembles the Modular Moog but more compact
  • Contained six Moog modules hard-wired together and connected to a small keyboard.
  • Most famous for its excellent analog sound and arguably the best filters in a portable synth.
  • Featured three oscillators.
• Development of Synthesisers - Sequential Circuits Prophet 5 (1977)

  • One of the first fully programmable polyphonic analog synths.
  • Five Voice Polyphony, two oscillators per voice and a white noise generator.
  • Flexible analog filters, envelopes and LFO.
  • Had patch memory storage, for perfect recalling of sounds.
  • Lacked MIDI
• Development of Synthesisers - Roland Jupiter 8 (1981)

  • 16 analog oscillators with 2 per voice and 8 voice polyphony.
  • One of the first synths to allow for its keyboard to be split and layered.
• Development of Synthesisers - Roland Tb-303 (1982)

  • Designed to simulate Bass Guitars but was a commercial failure and discontinued 2 years after.
  • Its 'squelching' or 'chirping' sound became a foundation of EDM genres such as House and Techno.
  • Inspired numerous clones.
• Development of Synthesisers - Yahama DX-7 (1983)

  • Used Frequency Modulation Synthesis to create sounds.
  • Allowed for more nuance modulation of sound waves.
  • Able to produce a much wider array of sounds.
  • Can mimic percussive instruments such as marimbas and xylophones.
  • Came pre-programmed with a selection of presets.