Music - Recording Techniques

reverberation

an artificial echo effect added to sounds to recreate the natural sound reflections of room/space reverberation

e.g. She’s Leaving Home

distortion

an effect that alters the sound by clipping the audio signal, producing a fuzzy or gritty/distorted tone

e.g. Sgt. Pepper LHCB

sampling

the reusing of a portion of a sound from one recording in a different recording. this can include using parts of other songs or sound effects such as chatter and laughter

or

the technique of taking a short section of existing audio and reusing it in a new context or track

multi-tracking

recording single vocal or instrumental parts individually and then mixing or layering them together to create one track //

recording different parts of a song (vocals, instruments) on separate tracks, allowing them to be edited or layered independently

slow tape speed (varispeed)

changing the speed of the tape during recording or playback to alter pitch and timbre

e.g. When I’m 64 - used to give a brighter and more youthful sound to Paul McCarthy’s vocals

panning

distributing sound between the left and right speakers in a stereo mix to create a sense of spatial movement or width

delay

an effect where the original sound is repeated after a short interval, creating an echo-like effect

compression

reduces the dynamic range of a recording, making the overall sound more consistent and punchy

tape splicing

tape recordings of tuning sounds and audience noise were cut up and stuck back together in a random sequence using splicing to create audience noise

fading

a recording technique where the volume of the music is gradually decreased or increased, often used to start or end a track smoothly etc.