Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is the
electrical or mechanical re-creation and/or amplification of
sound, often as
music. This involves the use of
audio equipment such as microphones, recording devices and loudspeakers. From early beginnings with the invention of the
phonograph using purely mechanical techniques, the field has advanced with the invention of electrical recording, the mass production of the
78 record, the
magnetic wire recorder followed by the
tape recorder, the vinyl
LP record. The invention of the
compact cassette in the 1960's, followed by Sony's
Walkman, gave a major boost to the mass distribution of music recordings, and the invention of
digital recording and the
compact disc in 1983 brought massive improvements in ruggedness and quality. The most recent developments have been in
digital audio players like the
Apple iPod.
The field covers many areas, from
Hi-Fi to
Professional audio,
Internet radio and
Podcasting.
Developments in recording and editing have transformed the
record,
movie and
television industries in recent decades.
Editing became practicable with the invention of
magnetic tape recording but computers and digital processing made it much easier, quicker and more powerful. We now divide the process of making a recording into tracking,
mixing and
mastering.
Multitrack recording makes it possible to capture sound from several microphones, or from different 'takes' to tape or disc with maximum
headroom and quality, allowing maximum flexibility in the mixing and mastering stages for editing, level balancing,
compressing and
limiting, and the addition of
effects such as
reverberation,
equalisation,
flanging and many more.
The first multitrack recording was "
How High the Moon" by
Les Paul, on which Paul played eight guitar tracks. The
Beatles, under producer George Martin, were among the first to truly experiment with multitrack techniques and effects on the album
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
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Amplifier*
Audio editing*
Audio system measurements*
Audiophile*
Clipstream*
CD*
Compact audio cassette*
Digital vs.
Analog*
Digital audio*
Digital recording*
DIY audio*
History of sound recording*
High-end audio*
High fidelity*
Near-field monitors*
List of audio formats*
Loudspeaker*
Magnetic recording and
tape recorder*
Microphone*
Music centre*
Phonograph*
Preamplifier*
Professional audio*
Record press*
Recording studio*
SAE Institute*
Valve sound (
tube sound)
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Voyager Golden Record*
School of Audio Engineering - Global Portal*
Music Production School - SAE Institute, Byron Bay - Providing Audio Engineering Courses.*
Recording/Mastering Discussion Forum*
Say What? â€" Essay by Paul S. Silwa
--
Matthew Treder 06:34, 9 August 2006 (UTC)
