DAD 492: History of recorded music on History of recorded music

Schedule

Sat, 02 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Lessons

Week 1 (8/21) Capturing Sound in the Acoustic Era: Recording Professionals and Clever Mechanics

Tuesday

Review the syllabus
sign up for hypothes.is
- A quick tutorial on usage
What are the causes that make recording unique from live performance?

Read: Connect – Summarize – Question – Reply Annotation Assignment Instructions and respond to questions on D2L about reading

Thursday

Week 2 (8/28) - The Studio Electrifies: Radio, Recording, and the Birth of the Small

Tuesday

Acoustic Sound
- Capturing Sound in the Acoustic Era: Recording Professionals and Clever Mechanics - continue the slides from here
The Studio Electrifies: Radio, Recording, and the Birth of the Small

Thursday

Field trip - visit the Lake County Museum!!!
Sign up for an account: Library at i78s
Finish: The Studio Electrifies: Radio, Recording, and the Birth of the Small

Week 3 (9/4) - A Passion for Sound: Amateur Recordists, the Audio Engineering Society, and the Evolution of a Profession

Tuesday

Listening Test 1 - Study Guide - Tuesday, September 12
Capturing the Moment, Falling in Love with the Phonograph: Amateurs and the Growth of Interest in Recording - slides

Read: Choose one article from the first AES Journal - make three comments and a reply. You can reply on someone else’s article.

Thursday

20 minutes - Listening practice
Finish the slides from Tuesday.
The Audio Engineering Society, Audio Fairs, and Audiophiles
- Discuss articles you read when we get to the first issue.

Week 4 (9/11) - When High Fidelity Was New: The Studio as Instrument

Tuesday

20 minutes: Listening Test 1 - 1870s-1929
10 minutes: Explain timeline project
45 minutes: Lecture
- When High Fidelity Was New: The Studio as Instrument

Interactive timeline project: https://timeline.knightlab.com/ - 10 objects or people that are important to the historical development of the time period.

Due September 19th

Reading:

NBC’s new studios in Radio City - pg 8 - great (3 pages) article about the NBC studios

CBS Studio Building - pg 89 - great pictures, but there’s more writing in the previous article

Thursday

No class: DSU day of service

Week 5 (9/18) - Control Men in Technological Transition: Engineering the Performance in the Age of High Fidelity

Tuesday

Present interactive timeline projects
Continue When High Fidelity Was New: The Studio as Instrument

Thursday

The other timeline presentations
Finish When High Fidelity Was New: The Studio as Instrument

Week 6 (9/25)

Tuesday

Setup routing with the Toft
- Just use two ribbon microphones
- a send to the stairwell, TCB hall, or both
- everything recorded live, no edits
- Record ATB-L and ATB-R into Reaper with one stereo track for backup

Project 1: Reel-to-Reel - Due 10/5

Thursday

Review reel-to-reel assignment and routing

Week 7 (10/2)

Tuesday

Questions about the reel-to-reel project?
Finish When High Fidelity Was New: The Studio as Instrument
Cool project: Home » Chamber Reverb Challenge
Exploring plugin models of historical reverbs

Thursday

Listen to reel-to-reel projects from tape

Week 8 (10/9) - In-class work on the mid-term project

Tuesday

Finish listening to reel-to-reel projects
Control Men in Technological Transition: Engineering the Performance in the Age of High Fidelity

Thursday

More Control Men in Technological Transition: Engineering the Performance in the Age of High Fidelity

Week 9 (10/16)

Tuesday

Listening Test 2: Link - October 24
Interactive StoryMap Project: project outline - Due October 26
More Control Men in Technological Transition: Engineering the Performance in the Age of High Fidelity

Thursday

Talk about topics for interactive project
The Search for the Sound: Rhythm and Blues, Rock ’n’ Roll, and the Rise of the Independents

Week 10 (10/23)

Tuesday

Thursday

At conference, finish your presentation if you haven’t already.

Week 11 (10/30) - Origins of Sampling

Tuesday

StoryMap Project Presentations
Introducing Recording Project 2: Record Sampling - Due 11/7

Thursday

Remaining StoryMap Project Presentations
Music in 1s and 0s: The Art and Politics of Digital Sampling

Week 12 (11/6)

Tuesday

Remaining StoryMap Project Presentations
Music in 1s and 0s: The Art and Politics of Digital Sampling

Thursday

Submit a proposal by next Tuesday Final Project Guidelines

Week 13 (11/13)

Tuesday

Listen to sampling projects

Thursday

Go over TOFT mixdown process

Week 14 (11/20)

Tuesday

Review TOFT mixdown process

Thursday

Thanksgiving Holiday

Week 15 (11/27)

Tuesday

Each student show’s ability to route signals into TOFT and out to the outboard gear.

Thursday

Pick a project and have students create a mixdown to the TOFT as a group.
Use the UA Plugins when necessary instead of the outboard gear.

Week 16 (12/4)

Individual Meetings

Final Exam

December 7th, 1 - 3 pm

Syllabus

Fri, 25 Jan 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Download

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Projects

Wed, 18 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Lessons

Project 1

Project 2

Final Project: Analog + Outboard

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Introduction

Welcome to the culmination of our journey through music recording history. Your final project will challenge you to apply the analog techniques we’ve studied by creating a music production that is a testament to the rich, warm sound of outboard gear. Below you will find the roadmap to your project, focusing on the Toft ATB Mixer as your primary tool for both recording and mixdown.

Project Aim

Create a music production of at least three minutes, using the Toft ATB Mixer for all recording and mixing stages. Your final deliverable will be a stereo mix file that showcases your technical skill with the mixer and outboard gear, as well as your artistic creativity.

Equipment and Facilities

You will have at your disposal:

Toft ATB Mixer
PRO VLA Two Channel Vactrol/Tube Leveling Amplifier
Alesis Dual 1/3 Octave Precision Equalizer
dbx 166XL Compressor / Limiter / Gate
Homemade reverb chamber
A selection of instruments from our instrument room
Various microphones
Recording spaces including a vocal booth and a large auditorium

Recording Process

All recordings must pass through the Toft ATB Mixer.
Choose your recording space wisely. The vocal booth is suitable for dry, isolated sounds, while the auditorium can offer natural reverberation and ambience.

Mixing Process

Your mixdown will also be conducted using the Toft ATB Mixer. Use its EQ, buses, and aux sends creatively to blend your tracks into a polished piece.

Documentation

Document each step with photos. Whether it’s setting up mics, adjusting the mixer, or tweaking outboard gear settings, visual evidence is key. Show how each sound source was routed through the mixer and outboard gear.
Write a comprehensive report. Explain your artistic decisions, technical strategies, and provide a thorough self-assessment.

Final Deliverable

A stereo mix file. This file, a direct output from the Toft ATB Mixer, will be your final submission. It should reflect your skills in both the technical and artistic realms of music production.

Submission Format

A high-quality stereo mix file.
A digital portfolio containing all process documentation and photographs.
A written report including self-assessment, artistic rationale, and technical methodology.

Project Timeline

Check-In/Mentorship Sessions: Scheduled individually
Final Submission: December 7th, 1:00 PM

Interactive Project 2 StoryMap: 1940s - 1960s

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Create a ten slide presentation with the StoryMap tool. Pick a piece of technology that has developed over time and in different places as the topic for your StoryMap project.

StoryMapJS is a free tool to help you tell stories on the web that highlight the locations of a series of events. It is a new tool, yet stable in our development environment, and it has a friendly authoring tool.

Instructions:

Make each slide represent a key milestone or breakthrough moment in the development of the technology.
Use the map functionality to pinpoint where each major advancement took place. This will visualize the geographic spread.
Integrate historical images, patent diagrams, videos or other multimedia that showcase how the technology looked and worked at each stage.
Include quotes or anecdotes that give a human perspective to each timeline entry. This connects the audience to the story.
If possible, end with a slide that shows the modern incarnation of the technology and discusses its impact on society. Tie it back to the origin.
Take advantage of features like zooming into map areas, making the images full bleed, and adding slide backgrounds to immerse users in each era and location.
Make sure to clearly explain any complex technical processes in simple, engaging language that is easy to understand.
Include a clear intro/title slide explaining the overall storyline and purpose at the outset. This provides context.

Rubric

Category	4 points	3 points	2 points	1 point
Historic Accuracy	All details are factually accurate	Almost all details are accurate	Some details are inaccurate	Many details are wrong
Use of Maps	Maps clearly highlight all locations	Good use of maps to show most locations	Maps used for some locations	Maps not incorporated
Multimedia	All slides integrate multimedia that enhances the story	Multimedia included on most slides	Some multimedia used	Minimal or no multimedia
Narrative Flow	Logical progression that is very engaging	Mostly clear flow	Choppy progression	Hard to follow narrative
Technical Explanations	Concise and clear explanations of all processes	Clear explanations overall	Some confusing technical details	Most processes not explained well
Title Slide	Title slide introduces topic exceptionally well	Good title slide	Basic title slide	No title slide

Listening 1: 1870s - 1930s

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Artist	Recording Title	Year	Recording Era	Label	Description	Listen
Thomas Edison	“Mary Had a Little Lamb”	1877	acoustic	n/a	Early sound experiment, marking the beginning of audio recording.	https://archive.org/details/EDIS-SCD-02
Enrico Caruso	“Ave Maria”	1913	acoustic	Victor	Helped popularize opera and showcased recorded music.	https://i78s.org/preview/4ed1b48126dd1fe66de8196ad37857b1
Original Dixieland “Jass” Band	“Livery Stable Blues”	1917	acoustic	Victor	Often credited as the first jazz recording, pivotal for jazz.	https://i78s.org/preview/a7111ecc98b82aa10221bcd43b1828d4
Sergei Rachmaninoff	“Prelude in C-sharp Minor”	1919	acoustic	Edison	Celebrated classical piano recording.	https://i78s.org/preview/0b0eb855e9e3937449308a4d472d172a
Bessie Smith	“Down Hearted Blues”	1923	acoustic	Columbia	Landmark blues recording, showcasing emotional depth.	https://i78s.org/preview/56abcb607796ab368791248ec46abd71
Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra	“Rhapsody in Blue”	1924	acoustic	Victor	Bridging classical and jazz music.	https://i78s.org/preview/04efd4096ad37d673f4698d1701f3654
Duke Ellington	“East St. Louis Toodle-Oo”	1927	electrical	Columbia	Early example of Ellington’s innovative jazz compositions.	https://i78s.org/preview/ed8549589a2997810508a731e277df0c
Jimmie Rodgers	“Blue Yodel No. 1 (T for Texas)”	1927	electrical	Bluebird	Significant influence on country music.	https://i78s.org/preview/3254fae4d57a85834bd7d9a1c8514652
Louis Armstrong & His Hot Five	“West End Blues”	1928	electrical	Okeh	Jazz masterpiece featuring Armstrong’s talents.	https://i78s.org/preview/ecda85d7f7d6c6be1d6224f99bbed5c9
Carter Family	“Keep On the Sunny Side”	1928	electrical	Victor	Influential in the country music genre.	https://i78s.org/preview/dfdec27c04e91e9f269ec5893bffc437

Listening 2: 1940s - 1960s

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Artist	Song	Year	Recording Details	YouTube Link
Les Paul	How High the Moon	1951	early tape overdubbing	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1p8Wzy327E4
Bill Haley & His Comets	Rock Around The Clock	1955	Pythian Temple room reverb	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgdufzXvjqw
Elvis Presley	Heartbreak Hotel	1956	slapback echo with two tape machines	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7nCj2dUoI8
Glen Gould	Bach: Goldberg Variations	1956	Recorded at Columbia’s 30th Street Studios	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cwas_7H5KUs
Miles Davis	Kind of Blue	1959	three-track tape; Columbia 30th Street Studio, New York, NY; Recording engineer was Fred Plaut	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylXk1LBvIqU&t=1s
The Tornados	Telstar	1962	Joe Meek was a British recording engineer and producer. He was known for his innovative recording techniques. He used close-miking, compression, and echo to create a new sound. He also built his own custom recording equipment.	https://blog.line6.com/2021/11/02/barry-cleveland-how-joe-meek-turned-the-recording-world-upside-down/
Frank Sinatra	The Concert Sinatra	1963	Riddle’s orchestra consisted of 76 musicians, then the largest assembled for a Sinatra album, and was recorded at four soundstages on the Goldwyn Studios lot using eight tracks of Westrex 35mm film (see sound follower) and twenty-four RCA 44-BX ribbon microphones.	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGqt4O29M4k&list=OLAK5uy_luKAK82EEXUDAWIMZaJG-AONLVhzUTeAI
The Beach Boys	Pet Sounds	1966	Multitracking: Brian Wilson used multitrack recording to layer and blend different instruments and vocals. This was a relatively new technique at the time, and Wilson was one of the first producers to use it to such great effect. Unusual instrumentation: Wilson used a wide variety of instruments on Pet Sounds, including guitars, bass, drums, piano, organ, and even a theremin. This was unusual for pop music at the time, and it helped to create the album’s unique sound.	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh_yhTyae08
The Beatles	Tomorrow Never Knows	1966	tape loops; read more here: https://happymag.tv/how-the-beatles-recorded-tomorrow-never-knows/	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4BuziKGMy4
The Beatles	Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band	1967	Strawberry Fields forever: The song as we know it is not one single take, but two takes (7 and 26) spliced together by producer George Martin and his innovative engineer Geoff Emerick. The Beatles had recorded these two takes at slightly different tempos and pitches. By speeding up the slower of the two tracks, Emerick was able to match the tempo and pitch.	youtube

Project 1: Reel-to-Reel

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Objective: Capture a live musical performance using analog recording equipment to gain hands-on experience with mic placement, instrument selection, and utilizing the natural acoustics of a space.

Instructions:

Gather 2-3 musicians to perform live in the studio. Select instruments that complement each other tonally and have suitable volume levels for an unamplified acoustic recording.
Record using the reel-to-reel tape recorder and Toft mixer. Use the preamps on the Toft mixer.
Create an echo chamber by routing audio from the mixer to an amp in one of the TCB rooms. Position a mic in that room to capture the echo and route it back to a channel on the mixer.
Mix the tracks live while recording the full performance in one take onto tape with no editing.
Submit a digital version of the the final recording, photos of the setup (recording, mixing and patch-bay), and a written reflection analyzing your process, microphone technique, use of effects, and the final mix to D2L. Discuss the challenges of live analog recording and your lessons learned.
You may work in groups but each submission should showcase different miking approaches and recorded songs.

Rubric

Criteria	Exceeds Expectations (4 pts)	Meets Expectations (3 pts)	Needs Improvement (2 pts)	Inadequate (1 pt)
Microphone Technique	Used microphones expertly to capture nuanced tones and textures. Creative miking that enhanced the recording.	Good microphone choices that adequately captured the instruments. Minor issues with placement.	Mediocre mic choices and placement that failed to convey some elements. Uneven levels.	Poor microphone selection and placement. Mix is unbalanced.
Routing and Mixing	Creative use of auxiliary sends and effective mixing. Balanced levels, EQ and effects enhance the recording.	Aux sends and mix properly route audio. Mix is clean with few distracting issues.	Inconsistent mixing and technical errors. Unbalanced levels at times.	Failure to utilize aux sends. Mixing has major technical issues.
Analog Equipment Usage	Shows deep understanding and creative use of the analog gear and signal flow.	Proficient use of analog equipment. Successful recording to tape.	Some technical issues or lack of control over analog signal path.	Unable to properly operate analog equipment. Recording flawed.
Documentation	Detailed notes explain techniques used. Photos clearly depict setup and routing.	Adequate documentation of process and techniques.	Spotty documentation or incomplete photos.	Lack of notes and photos demonstrating process.
Reflection	Provides insightful reflection on techniques used and lessons learned.	Satisfactory summary of process and key learning.	Vague reflection that lacks detail.	Little or no reflection provided.

Project 2: Record Sampling

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

For this project, you will create a 2-3 minute musical composition using only samples from pre-1980 vinyl records. You can sample from the records I provide in class, or you can bring in your own selections of older vinyl records to sample from. The goal is to creatively repurpose and rearrange brief samples from these vintage recordings into an original composition.

When recording your samples, you can choose snippets from well-known, popular recordings or you can dig deeper to find more obscure, forgotten gems to sample from. Get creative with how you manipulate and layer the samples using editing software!

In addition to the musical composition, you will complete a short 1-page written response discussing topics related to sampling pre-existing recordings, such as:

Copyright and legal issues surrounding sampling
How sampling relates to concepts of originality and creativity in music
Examples of groundbreaking uses of sampling in music history
Your own insights into the process of creating an original composition from existing source material

The written component should demonstrate thoughtful consideration of how sampling and remixing pre-existing content raises important questions about copyright, creativity, and musical innovation. Please cite at least 2-3 sources to support your discussion.

Rubric

Musical Composition (15 points)

Creative use of samples (5 points): Composition shows imagination and artistry in repurposing samples.
Cohesion and flow (3 points): The composition feels cohesive as a whole piece.
Length and development (3 points): Meets 2-3 minute length requirement. Ideas are developed over the course of the piece.
Technical execution (4 points): Samples edited cleanly and mixed properly. Sounds polished.

Written Response (10 points)

Discussion of copyright/legal issues (3 points): Shows understanding of copyright law and licensing issues surrounding sampling.
Discussion of originality/creativity (3 points): Analyzes how sampling relates to originality and creativity. Examples provided.
Discussion of examples from music history (2 points): Explains examples of groundbreaking uses of sampling.
Integration of sources (1 point): Incorporates at least 2-3 credible sources.
Clarity and organization (1 point): Response is focused, articulate, and logically organized.

DAD 492: History of recorded music on History of recorded music

Schedule

Lessons

Week 1 (8/21) Capturing Sound in the Acoustic Era: Recording Professionals and Clever Mechanics

Tuesday

Thursday

Week 2 (8/28) - The Studio Electrifies: Radio, Recording, and the Birth of the Small

Tuesday

Thursday

Week 3 (9/4) - A Passion for Sound: Amateur Recordists, the Audio Engineering Society, and the Evolution of a Profession

Tuesday

Thursday

Week 4 (9/11) - When High Fidelity Was New: The Studio as Instrument

Tuesday

Thursday

Week 5 (9/18) - Control Men in Technological Transition: Engineering the Performance in the Age of High Fidelity

Tuesday

Thursday

Week 6 (9/25)

Tuesday

Thursday

Week 7 (10/2)

Tuesday

Thursday

Week 8 (10/9) - In-class work on the mid-term project

Tuesday

Thursday

Week 9 (10/16)

Tuesday

Thursday

Week 10 (10/23)

Tuesday

Thursday

Week 11 (10/30) - Origins of Sampling

Tuesday

Thursday

Week 12 (11/6)

Tuesday

Thursday

Week 13 (11/13)

Tuesday

Thursday

Week 14 (11/20)

Tuesday

Thursday

Week 15 (11/27)

Tuesday

Thursday

Week 16 (12/4)

Final Exam

Syllabus

Projects

Lessons

Project 1

Project 2

Final Project: Analog + Outboard

Introduction

Project Aim

Equipment and Facilities

Recording Process

Mixing Process

Documentation

Final Deliverable

Submission Format

Project Timeline

Interactive Project 2 StoryMap: 1940s - 1960s

Instructions:

Rubric

Listening 1: 1870s - 1930s

Listening 2: 1940s - 1960s

Project 1: Reel-to-Reel

Rubric

Project 2: Record Sampling

Rubric

Musical Composition (15 points)

Written Response (10 points)

Reverb plugins

Hall/Chamber reverb

Spring reverb

Plate