Early Days of Analogue Recording (1940s-50s)

Question 1

What is tape saturation?

Answer 1

• Light distortion / analogue.
• Voltage exceeds level for tape to be able to record.
• Loss of high frequencies, boost of lows.

Question 2

How were performers positioned around a microphone in the early days of analogue recording?

Answer 2

• Drums at greatest distance from the mic.
• Vocals at the front and closest.
• Other instruments positioned around mic at different distances.

Question 3

What is the name for recordings that were only in the centre of the mix?

Answer 3

Mono

Question 4

What is tape hiss?

Answer 4

High frequency background noise present on analogue magnetic tape recordings, basically the noise floor of the recording medium.

Question 5

What is the name for the boost in low frequencies and softening of attacks that occurred during 40s and 50s recordings?

Answer 5

Analogue warmth

Question 6

How many tracks were used to record in the 1940s-50s?

Answer 6

One track

Question 7

What is direct-to-disc recording?

Answer 7

Uses magnetic tape recordings to record directly onto analogue disc masters (shellac discs).

Question 8

What were some issues with using 1 mic to record?

Answer 8

• Drums were far away from mic, lows (kick drum, etc) were lost. Fixed by playing louder or moving drums closer.
• Vocals were close so would clip / distort.
• Low frequency range.

Question 9

Name 2 types of magnetic tape recording equipment.

Answer 9

• Reel-to-reel audio tape.
• Compact cassette.

Question 10

What polarity was most common in mics during the 1940s-50s?

Answer 10

Figure-of-8 (ribbon)

Question 11

When did analogue tape first become used in recording studios?

Answer 11

Post WW2, late 1940s / early 1950s.

Question 12

What is tape saturation and what effect does it have?

Answer 12

• Creates a boost in the low frequencies (soft distortion).
• Rolls off high frequencies.
• Boosts harmonics.
• ANALOGUE WARMTH.
• Voltage applied to the tape is too great for it to handle.

Question 13

What is the name we use for inconsistencies in speed (2 words)?

Answer 13

Wow and flutter.

Question 14

Which word describes the high frequency noise associated with analogue tape?

Answer 14

Tape hiss.

Question 15

What is the name of the company that found a solution to the problem of high frequency noise in analogue tape?

Answer 15

Dolby.

Question 16

What is IPS and what effect does it have?

Answer 16

Inches Per Second, describes tape speed in tape recording machines.
More inches per second = greater quality recording.
30ips is studio recording quality.

Question 17

Describe the heads found on a tape delay machine.

Answer 17

Erase head, Record head, Playback heads (3 Playback heads).

Question 18

How can delay time be varied on a tape delay machine?

Answer 18

Changing the distance between the Record and Playback heads.

Question 19

What is feedback on a tape delay machine?

Answer 19

How many repeats there are.

Question 20

When did 2/3/4/8/16/24-track tape recording first begin to be used in recording studios?

Answer 20

2-track recording: late 1950s.
3-track recording: early 1960s.
4-track recording: mid 1960s.
8-track recording: late 1960s.
16-track recording: early 1970s.
24-track recording: mid 1970s.

Question 21

What are mono and stereo audio recordings?

Answer 21

Monaural (mono / ‘full-track’) audio recordings and equipment consists of a single audio channel or ‘track’.
Binaural (stereo / ‘two-track’) recordings and equipment use 2 audio tracks.

Question 22

Q
What is the name of the process in the early days of analogue multitrack tape recording where you could combine multiple tracks into one?

Answer 22

Bouncing down.

Question 23

What are the editing techniques that WERE available during the early days of analogue multitrack tape recording?

Answer 23

• Speeding up / slowing down tape to alter the pitch.
• Tape saturation by warming tapes.
• Splicing (cutting up tape and then resembling it in a different order).
• Flanging (slowing one tape down) creates modulation effect.
• Playing tape backwards.
• Tape delay machines.