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artists
recording engineers
mastering engineers
record label executives
studio musicians
arrangers
conductors
songwriters
What are some creative roles of a producer?
Defines and oversees the creative 'big picture' of a project
provides guidance, coaching, and sometimes discipline
may make song, arrangement, and personnel selections
may write songs and play instruments
handles budget
schedules recording sessions
ensures product is completed well and on-time.
What is notable about Quincy Jones’ experience and approach as a producer?
started as a jazz musician, arranger, and conductor- background in jazz gave him an advanced understanding of harmony, arrangement, and orchestration
What is notable about Sylvia Massey’s experience and approach as a producer?
known for unconventional recording techniques that bring unique textures to her productions; blends technical expertise with creativity to push the boundaries of sound
What is notable about Rick Rubin’s experience and approach as a producer?
doesn’t have much music theory knowledge, relaxed studio environment and encourages artists to explore their true sound
What is a phonautograph?
device that made a visual image of sound waves on a cylinder with a brush attached to a diaphragm. It did not play back any sounds
it recorded sound onto a tinfoil sheet using a stylus
What was notable about the lead phonograph?
oldest surviving playable cylinder that was created by Lambert
What was notable about the wax phonograph?
Columbia Phonograph Co produced the first recrod catalog in 1890
What is a gramophone?
uses a disc with a lateral-cut groove
it was popular in homes and as dictation machines, offering improved fidelity in sound
What is critical listening?
listening from an engineer’s perspective, focusing on physical details of the sound such as frequency response and dynamics
What is analytical listening?
listening focused on the feeling and meaning behind the music
What is balance?
how present each instrument is in the mix and how they relate to each other (masking)
What is panorama?
where the instruments are placed in a stereo field
What is frequency range?
the scope of frequencies used in a mix, and whether they are all used or not
What is dimension?
how close or far the elements of a mix feel
What is a sound field analysis?
visual representation of different instruments/signals detail how those signals are represented at any given moment in a mix
What is the scope of services in a Record Producer Agreement?
outlines what the producer is explicitly expected to achieve
What are liability protections in a Record Producer Agreement?
who is responsible if things go wrong
What is intellectual property ownership in a Record Producer Agreement?
who owns the work that is created, and who owns the master
What is credit in a Record Producer Agreement?
how the producer’s name will appear on the packaging/liner notes
What is confidentiality in a Record Producer Agreement?
anything that the producer can’t share with the public regarding the process
What is term and termination in a Record Producer Agreement?
how long the contract lasts and if the contract can be ended for any reason
What is payment in a Record Producer Agreement?
record producers usually get paid through fees or points
What do points refer to in a producer's contract?
percentages of record sales or royalties typically earned from the artist's royalties
How are points different from a fee?
fee is per song or per album or hourly rate, typically non-refundable and recoupable against the producer royalty
What is recoupment?
the process where a record label recoups its investment before the artist is paid
What is an advance?
cover costs associated with making the recording
What is the arrangement of a musical composition?
determines what instruments will play during the piece of music; knowing how instruments can work together or play off each other
What is the foundation of an arrangement?
rhythm section typically recorded first, or with the primary focus on the foundation during initial recording sessions
What are pads in an arrangement?
long sustaining note or chord. Can be strings, synths, organs, or guitar chords
What is the rhythm in an arrangement?
any instrument that plays counter to the foundation. Percussion, guitar chords etc. Adds a sense of motion
What is the lead in an arrangement?
lead vocal/instrument or solo
What are fills in an arrangement?
fit in spaces betwen lead lines
What was the British Invasion?
in the mid 1960s when English rock/pop groups gained enormous popularity in the US
Who were some artists of the British Invasion?
The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Hollies, The Who, The Animals, The Dave Clark Five, The Yardbirds, Herman’s Hermits
How was the song “Love Me Do” recorded during the first Beatles recording sessions?
the band played together and recorded all of the instrumentation (no vocals) to a mono tape, then they overdubbed their vocals by playing the mono instrument tape, sending the playback with the signal from their vocals to a second mono tape, and recording the blended signal
How was the Beatles album “Please Please Me” recorded?
the material was recorded to twin track- all instruments and vocals were recorded live, with the instruments sent to one track and the vocals (as well as guitar solos) sent to another track so they could be mixed later
What is overdubbing?
recording new tracks over pre-existing tracks to augment or replace them
What is a punch in/drop in?
performer can re-record and replace a specific phrase or section without recording over pre-recorded material before or after it
How did the Beatles overdub on the “Please Please Me” album? How is this different from how me might overdub today?
they overdubbed by bouncing from one twin track machine to another, listening to the previously recorded tracks over a speaker in the live room, this could be done as many times as desired. One drawback was that the overdubs could not be altered or removed once they were “committed” or finalized. Another drawback was that with each new overdub, earlier recordings would experience degradation known as “generational loss”
What is a gobo?
partitions to isolate instruments/vocals
What was the upgrade in recording studio technology at Abbey Road for the Beatles “I Want To Hold Your Hand” session?
first Beatles recording to make use of 4-track technology
What is double tracking?
very often, the lead vocal would be recorded and heard in the mix twice, helping it to stand out in the mix
What is half speed overdubbing?
if a passage of music was particularly challenging to perform, the tape machine could be operated at half speed...the performance would need to be played at half speed and an octave lower than desired, so that when it was sped up it would sound in the correct octave
Who were some American artists that were popular at the time the British Invasion started?
Roy Orbison, The Beach Boys, The Supremes, Martha and the Vandellas, The Four Seasons, Jan and Dean, and The Four Tops
What are time based effects?
audio processors which operate by repeating or “replaying” a signal that has been received at the device’s input
What is reverb?
decaying signal that remains after a sound occurs, created by reflections as the sound bounces off barriers within an environment
What is long delay?
a delay that creates an audible echo, longer than 25-40 ms
What effects are created using long delay?
support, slap-back, emphasis, groove
What is short delay?
delay shorter than 35-40 ms, too short to hear a discrete echo
What effects are created using short delay? How are they different from one another?
flanging- 0-15 ms with modulation
chorusing- multiple delays, 15-35 ms with modulation
doubling- 15-35 ms, no modulation
phasing- similar to flanging but uses an all-pass filter instead of a simple delay to alter phase
What is delay time of a delay effect?
controls how long the device '“holds” the delayed sound before replaying it
What is feedback in a delay effect?
number of repeats
What is balance (wet/dry mix) in a delay effect?
ratio of unaffected sound to affected
What is depth in a delay effect?
amount of modulation applied to the delayed signal
What is the rate of a delay effect?
rate of the modulation applied to the delayed signal
What is slap back delay?
delay between 90-200 ms
What is the direct sound of a reverb?
unaffected sound from the source
What are early reflections in a reverb?
first reflections from large structures
What is the reverberation in reverb?
many reflections from all surfaces. Spaced closely enough in time so that they are not audible as different sounds
What is predelay in a reverb?
the amount of time before the first reverberation of a signal are heard
What is decay in a reverb?
indicates how long the reverb persists in ms, also known as RT60- reverberating waves to decrease by 60 dB
What is an echo chamber?
room designed with very hard, non-parallel surfaces and equipped with a speaker and a microphone
What is a spring reverb?
one transducer causes a spring to vibrate and the reflected wave motions that travel through the spring are picked up by other transducers
What is a plate reverb?
a vibrating transducer feeds the sound into a 4’ x 6’ metal plate, and a pair of pick-ups extract the reverberation as vibrations bounce off the plate’s edges
What is equalization?
allows the engineer to selectively change the balance of frequencies in a signal
Why might you need to EQ a sound?
to correct specific problems in a recording or room, to overcome deficiencies in the frequency response of an instrument, to blend multiple instruments and sounds into a better overall mix, to alter sound purely for musical or creative reasons
What is bandwidth?
range of frequencies on either side of the center frequency
What is quality factor (Q)?
numerical value of bandwidth, smaller is higher number
What is a peaking filter?
peak-shaped bell curve that can be either boosted or cut around a center frequency
What is a shelving filter?
rise or drop in frequency response at a selected frequency, which tapers off to a set level
What is a low pass filter?
allows low frequencies to pass through while high ones are attenuated
What is a high pass filter?
allows high frequencies to pass through while low ones are attenuated
What is soul music?
name given to a genre of music developed in African American communities during the 1950s and 1960s
Why was Motown Records significant?
catalog of successful artists and recordings, and was one of the few African American owned independent record labels
Who was Berry Gordy Jr.?
the founder of Motown Records in 1959
Who is James Jamerson?
seen today as an innovator on the bass
Who are Holland, Dozier, and Holland?
Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland were a songwriting and production team who wrote for Motown between 1962 and 1967
Who were some successful Motown artists?
Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, The Supremes
Why was Stax Records significant?
helped develop the “Memphis Soul (Southern Soul)” sound, music ranging from gospel to blues and funk
Who were Booker T and the MG’s?
integrated band, which was very rare for the South at this time. Booker T Jones on keyboards and AI Jackson on drums were African American, Lewie Steinberg on bass and Steve Cooper on guitar were white
Who is Steve Cooper?
guitarist for Booker T and the MG’s
Who were some successful Stax artists?
Booker T and the MG’s, David Porter, Isaac Hayes
Who was Jerry Wexler?
producer from Atlantic Records, worked with Tom Dowd as engineer
Why was Atlantic Records significant?
became known as an important American record label, specializing in jazz, R&B, and soul
Who was Ahmet Ertegun?
head of A&R for Atlantic records, focused on jazz artists
Who was Tom Dowd?
recording engineer/producer who played a big role in Atlantic’s development
What was the significant of Bobby Darin’s recording of “Splish Splash” in 1958?
first song to be recorded to 8-track in 1958
How was Philly Soul different from Motown or Stax?
made use of more intricate arrangements, heavily influenced by funk
Who were Gamble and Huff?
production/songwriting team for Philly Soul, founded Philadelphia International Records in 1971
Who were some successful artists for Philadelphia International Records?
The O’Jays, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, Teddy Pendergrass, Patti Labelle
Who was Jimi Hendrix?
one of the most influential musicians in popular music, innovative electric guitar style and wild stage presence
How was Chas Chandler significant to the development of Jimi Hendrix’s career?
he was his manager and producer, helped Jimi form a band
How was the Jimi Hendrix Experience album “Are You Experienced” recorded?
recorded during 16 recording sessions at 3 different London studios
What is an Ocatvia pedal?
effects pedal designed for Jimi Hendrix- reproduces the input signal from a guitar one octave higher in pitch and adds distortion fuzz
Who is Eddie Kramer?
Jimi Hendrix’s engineer whose approach to tracking the foundation was different from what had been done at CBS and De Lane Lea, also introduced a close mic approach in addition to the distant mic approach when recording Jimi’s guitar
What was different about Eddie Kramer’s approach to recording the Jimi Hendrix Experience than other engineers?
he recorded drums in stereo on two tracks
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