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 Pre 1920 Mono Acoustic recording method Acoustic horn used to collect sound Direct to disc (phonograph) Mono Some use of electronic recording method Direct to disc (phonograph) Basic amplifiers and variable resistors Carbon microphones used 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 Mono Tape recorders used in some studios Condenser (Capacitor) and Ribbon and also Dynamic microphones used (Shure Unidyne) Mono Tape universally adopted over disc or optical recording Spring reverb 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 Analogue Multitrack 16 24 32 track Analogue synthesisers (Moog) Analogue and Digital Delay and Reverb 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 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 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 Technology Developments Phonograph patented by Thomas Edison (1877) Magnetic recording (1900) Carbon microphone (1878) Sound on film or 'optical' recording methods Electronic amplifiers Condenser microphone Bell Labs (1926) 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) Capitol release Les Paul playing 8 overdubbed guitar parts recorded on wax disc (1947) Les Paul invents 'sound on sound' recording on tape Tape 'Echo' invented Tape editing Electret microphone (1964) Leo Fender Spring reverb Tape recorders locked together to create more tracks Portable tape recorders 8 track tape Last 78 rpm records 'Soundfield' Microphone Fairlight CMI sampling workstation (1979) 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 24 Bit / 96kHz standard Sample Libraries Computer sound cards developed for music Creative Labs Sound Blaster' 192kHz sample rate Physical Modelling Synthesis Apple Loops High Speed Broadband USB / Firewire Audio Interfaces Dolby noise reduction Quadraphonic The Sony Walkman Phillips Compact Disc (1982) MTV Guitar Multi-fx Commercial Developments Phonograph Cylinder

1920s

Gramophone Record 78 rpm records Radio Broadcast in USA Walt Disney's 'Fantasia' film is first commercial stereo recording Jukeboxes First 33 rpm discs 45 rpm singles

1930s

1940s

1950s

First commercial stereo recordings in late 50s Microgroove LP disc Phillips Compact Cassette (1962)

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

CD-R MP3 DVD Home studios start the decline of the large studios Apple iLife Apple iPod Apple iTunes Pod fx LEMUR Kaoss Pad Fx

2000