Recent Event Highlights: Able to make recordings at home, The music industry begins to experiment, Using pre recorded tapes in France, Introduction of re-writable CDs, Multi tracking equipment becomes affordable, CD sales surpass LP sales for the first time, and 20 more...
Created by doctorsdaughter on Jan 9, 2011
Last updated: 02/16/11 at 12:25 PM
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Hi-fi enthusiasts were able to make recordings at home using reel-to-reel tapes. Because the machines were large and had to be manually threaded, the recording industry began to look into producing magnetic tapes and machines that would be better.
Composers, producers, performers and engineers all began to experiment with the with adding effects onto recordings e.g. the use of echo on Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel"
Third tracks were added to the two tracks of the stereo recorder. The extra track was used to isolate the voice of the singer against to orchestral backing and enhance their voice. This was used with Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra.
The idea of using pre recorded tapes as a basis for contempary art music was beginning in France. Pierre Schaeffer experimented by mixing natural and man made sounds and proccessing them in different ways to create "musique concrete"
Sony invented re-writable CD, which caused major implications for the computer industry and presented more problems for the copyright problems for the music industry, as high quality copies were easy to produce.
MiniDisc equipment records digital-audio data onto discs using Magnetic Optical technology. Its hgh selling points were the lack of physical contact between the laser heads and the disc itself. Also, the disc didnt wear out on repeated burnings and could not be scratched
Digital multi-track recorders became available at modest prices and some home recording equipment was equal to some studio equipment
CDs and cassettes became the two dominant sales in records. Vinyl records were still able to survive among hi-fi enthusiasts and were still used in DJ practices.
Digital music playback was at a very high standard, so people wanted the ability to record digitally too. DATs and players using Heli-scan technology were invented. The sound quality was high and threatened the superemacy of CDs, although copy protection stopped it from becoming too popular
The first digital audio 5 inch CD players went on sale
Manufacturers began to design low cost multi-tracking equipment for the home studio market. This allowed bands to create cheap demo tapes.
Sony introduced TPS-L2 Walkman Portable audio-cassette players, which became popular.
Creating pirate copies of cassettes were becoming very popular by copying borrowed LPs or cassettes. These were known as bootlegs
Pop musicians began to invest huge amounts of money into buying their own recording studios so that they could be free to experiment
DNRs were used to eliminate superflous hiss on tracks. Cassette players soon started to replace cartridge players in cars.
George Martin used techniques such as overdubbing, tape slicing and effects on The Beatles "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album. The effects were created by changing the speed of the tapes, moslty on "Being for the benefit of Mr Kite"
The BASF tape was originally created by Phillips and were originally invented as dictation machines
The capacity of tracks increased over the 1960s from four to eight, then sixteen and twenty four tracks
Four track recorders were used and they offered technology which was widely used in pop recordings
Stereo recordings allowed music to be heard through two or more loudspeakers making the sound stereophonic. Records had only been able to play out of one speaker until this time.
Studios began looking beyond "real" or conventionally created sounds and started using technology like oscilators and amplifiers to create sounds electronically.
The French Broadcasting Authority opened it's first electronic music studio. Several of France's eminent composers worked there, including Messiaen and Boulez
RCA and CBS begin to manufacture 33 1/2 and 45 inch records. Multi-speed record player go into production. LPs concentrate on classical market and singles on popular music
The recording quality of the magnetic tape managed to match that of the direct recording process.
Capitol became the first major label to record records on 78, 45 and 33 1/2 speeds.
RCA Victor developed 7 inch EP (extended play) record and player to rival the LP.
Columbia Records introduce 12-inch, 33 1/2 long playing vinylite record (often known as an LP). This played 23 minutes of recordings on each side.
Microphones had a larger frequency range, but still sounded tinny
The first music recording was of a live orchestral concert, conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham
The first public demostration of the BASF/AEG Magnetophone which was recorded and played on a magnetic tape
Radio sound quality was very high compared to records as well as cheaper, meaning more people chose radio over records. This made the record industry slumped
Juke boxes made the record industry popularity grow as records such as Glen Miller and Benny Goodman's swing bands. This became more popular still in the 1940s when Frank Sinatra became popluar
Although microphones were originally invented for the telephone/broadcasting industries, they started being used in recording studios so that vocalists could be heard over jazz bands
"Livery stable blues" and "Original dixieland one-step" were recorded. Until this time, the main music recorded had been classical
Gramophone outstrips other two contenders and
Thomas Edison as granted a patron for his newly invented phonograph
Emile Berliner invented the third version of the phonograph, known as the gramophone. Became the only one out of the three to be mass produced.
Thomas Edison recorded "Mary Had A Little Lamb"
Chichster Bell and Charles Tainter invented a 2nd type of phonograph, known as the graphophone.
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