Online Portfolio of Michael Wach

There were a number of problems with the 78 revolutions per minute record. The records only stored about 3 minutes of audio. This required song writers to be ‘a little more economical’ with the length of their track. Many artists realized they could record not only sheet music but also on vinyls as long as they could fit the music in the 3 minute duration. The Starr Piano Company in Indiana shifted gears and changed the music recording industry. Towards the 1920s, the Starr Piano Company founded Gennett Records, after producing a number of recordings under the Starr Records label. Gennett Records saved many of the original and most famous jazz and blues songs onto gramophone records. Gennett wasn’t like other record labels; Gennett would record any artist as long as they paid for the studio time and any other production costs.

Gramophone, or vinyl records were originally inscribed acoustically using a horn connected to a diaphragm which vibrated a wax cutting stylus. The level of sensitivity and range of frequencies recorded were very poor. Many musical instruments were nearly impossible to record with this method. During the 1920s, new electrical technologies emerged which allowed sound capturing with microphones. The signal could then be amplified with vacuum tubes and sent to an electromagnetic recording head. Electrical recordings produced much higher quality audio than the acoustic method, and more musical instrument frequencies could be distinguished.

One of the first and most famous singers to embrace the electrical recording method was Harry Lillis “Bing” Crosby. For both the electrical and acoustic methods of recording, the artists needed to perform perfectly throughout the duration of the track. There was no way to rewind or edit the vinyls once they were recorded. Later in the 1940s, a new form of recording appeared, magnetic tape recording. Bing was also one of the first introduced to the new method of recording. Using magnetic tapes allowed the artist to edit and compile together their best tracks, and therefor encouraged more individuals to produce their own recordings.

Around the time magnetic tape recording was introduced, two other innovations began to surface. A new type of record, the LP, or Long Play format, which enabled higher quality stereo sound to be recorded for a much longer duration. Also introduced was FM radio, which has a higher fidelity than AM radio. These new, higher quality formats combined with multitrack editing allowed an individual to record and master entire compositions all on their own.

Multitrack recording made the one-man band practical. Originally audio needed to be recorded perfectly for the entire duration of the recording. With new electronic recording tools in hand, one could go back and correct any areas with mistakes. Now it is possible to produce any type of musical waveform, including those not produced by any real instrument. The only drawback is that the product may not sound as authentic as one recorded with a real band. It can be challenging to blend a multitrack recording and create a harmony with each track. This is becoming less difficult everyday with the constant technological advancements and spread of audio mastering knowledge.

I feel that the triumph of amateurs will be the completion of the music industry. As previously described, the music industry began with non-editable band recordings. New technology emerged year after year and dramatically changed the recording process. Today, anyone can obtain the necessary tools for recording, editing, and mastering their own audio. No longer are record companies required to produce your own music. Therefor the creation and distribution of recordings can be completely determined by the artist. This also allows the artist to market / advertise the work as he or she wishes. As for professional, commercial recordings, I feel that there will always be a business. Not everyone will want to take the time to produce their own recordings. Professional recording studios will always be able to provide their services for whatever fee, just as one would pay for any other job they’d rather someone else do. As with the rest of music history, technological advancements simply provide more opportunities to broader groups of people.

The information above was summarized from the official National Public Radio website and various Wikipedia entries.