Recording Studio Technology Timeline – Adrian Smith Developments in music recording studios have been driven by the communication and radio industries. This timeline attempts to show the equipment used in the studio alongside technical and commercial developments. Decade Equipment used in the music studio Technology

Developments Commercial Developments

Pre 1920

Mono Acoustic recording method Acoustic horn used to collect sound Direct to disc (phonograph)

Phonograph patented by Thomas Edison (1877) Magnetic recording (1900) Carbon microphone (1878)

Phonograph Cylinder

1920s Mono Some use of electronic recording method Direct to disc (phonograph) Basic amplifiers and variable resistors Carbon microphones used

Sound on film or 'optical' recording methods Electronic amplifiers Condenser microphone – Bell Labs (1926)

Gramophone Record 78 rpm records Radio Broadcast in USA

1930s Mono Electronic recording method 'Lathe' electromagnetic cutting head driven by an electronic amplifier. Direct to disc Multiple microphones Basic amplifiers and variable resistors Capacitor and Ribbon microphones used Optical recording method - direct to the film

Experiments in stereo recording Germans develop tape recorder - used during war BASF – magnetic tape Moving Coil or 'dynamic microphone and Ribbon Microphone– Bell Labs (1931)

Walt Disney's 'Fantasia' film is first commercial stereo recording Jukeboxes First 33 rpm discs

1940s Mono Tape recorders used in some studios Condenser (Capacitor) and Ribbon and also Dynamic microphones used (Shure Unidyne)

Capitol release Les Paul playing 8 overdubbed guitar parts recorded on wax disc (1947)

45 rpm singles

1950s Mono Tape universally adopted over disc or optical recording Spring reverb

Les Paul invents 'sound on sound' recording on tape Tape 'Echo' invented Tape editing

First commercial stereo recordings in late 50s Microgroove LP disc

1960s Stereo (1960s to present day) Analogue Multitrack Reel to Reel Tape 4 – 8 – 16 track 4 track machine used by the Beatles on the album 'Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band' 'Echoplex' Tape Delay Plate reverb units Studio as a musical / creative device

Electret microphone (1964) Leo Fender Spring reverb Tape recorders locked together to create more tracks

Phillips Compact Cassette (1962) Portable tape recorders 8 track tape Last 78 rpm records

1970s Analogue Multitrack 16 – 24 – 32 track Analogue synthesisers (Moog) Analogue and Digital Delay and Reverb

'Soundfield' Microphone Fairlight CMI sampling workstation (1979)

Dolby noise reduction Quadraphonic The Sony Walkman

1980s Analogue and Digital Multitrack 32 - 48 track + Digital mixing consoles Digital Editing and Mastering Drum Machines and Synthesisers Digital Effects / Multi-effects MIDI keyboards and Samplers Atari Computer Sequencer

16 Bit / 44.1kHz CD standard 18Bit / 48kHz pro standard MIDI standard (1982) R-DAT Yamaha DX7 synthesiser (1983) Akai Samplers 'Sound Tools' digital editing

Phillips Compact Disc (1982) MTV Guitar Multi-fx

1990s See 1980s plus – Recording onto a computer / Pro tools / DAW Digital editing on computer ADAT 8 track digital tape (affordable) Multi-timbral Keyboards and sound modules Affordable analogue and digital desks

24 Bit / 96kHz standard Sample Libraries Computer sound cards developed for music – Creative Labs “Sound Blaster'

CD-R MP3 DVD Home studios start the decline of the large studios

2000 The computer based studio comes of age Logic Pro taken over by Apple Audio Plug-ins Software instruments Hardware control over software 'Vocal Channels' high end valve hardware

192kHz sample rate Physical Modelling Synthesis Apple Loops High Speed Broadband USB / Firewire Audio Interfaces

Apple iLife Apple iPod Apple iTunes Pod fx LEMUR Kaoss Pad Fx