The Influence of Technology on Popular Music

1
The Influence of Technology on Popular Music

• A huge and complex subject - but well covered in
  the literature e.g.Shuker chp.3
• Raises economic issues
• Raises creative issues
• Touches on developments in recording technology,
  formats and modes of dissemination

2
Formats

• Phonograph (wax) to Shellac (78s) to Vinyl (45s
  and 33s)
• Crucial part played by the 45 vinyl single in the
  50s
• 70s album sales increasingly important
• 80s 12 inch singles and cd singles introduced as
  the importance of the single declines

3
Recording

• Phonograph
• Electronic mics - 1920s
• Electro-magnetic tape - commercially available
  from the late 40s
• Stereo sound developed from cinema first
  available with tape in the 50s - by 60s home
  stereo record players become available - records
  increasingly in stereo

4
Cassettes and CDs

• 70s saw compact cassettes widely available for
  home taping - particularly of radio - in-car
  radio/cassette players and hifidelity home
  stereos now easily affordable. Dolby enhanced
  appeal
• By end of 80s cassettes outselling other formats
  three to one
• Digital age and CDs from 1982. CD-Roms by 1990s.
  MP3s and Internet late by 1990s

5
Recording

• The sound engineer/mixer represents the point
  where music and technology meet
• sound mixers initially technicians now artists
• 70s and 80s opened up the creative possibilities
  of new technology and the musician/sound
  engineer/mixer could be one

6
Consumer Playback

• Gramophone, Radio, Reel to reel, Stereo hifi,
  in-car sound systems, compact cassette and radio,
  walkman, Ghetto-blaster (boom boxes), CD players,
  portable digital recorders, mini-disc players,
  home computers - all have influenced the industry
  in various ways.

7
Multitracking

• Les Paul and the 2-track recording. Tape Delay.
  Close mic-ing
• Late 50s slapback delay - Sam Philips
• Over-dubs - e.g.- Good Vibrations
• 2-track to 8-track - Sargeant Pepper and Pet
  Sounds
• 32-tracks and more

8
Electric Guitar

• Grows out of hawaiian guitar by Leo Feder 1936
• Acoustic guitars with amplifiers in the 1940s -
  Charlie Christian a pioneer
• Les Paul and the log. The Les Paul Gibson
• 1948 Fender Broadcaster and 1954 Stratocaster -
  humbucking pickups

9
Guitar distortions

• Distortion as loudness - You really got me,
  Satisfaction, Keep on Running - the energy for
  rock
• Appears to be loud although it is not necessarily
  so.
• Add-ons - Fuzz-boxes, Pedals, Midi etc
• Use of feed back and turning up the volume

10
Synths

• Analogue (subtractive) synths from the mid-50s
• Commercially available from late 60s - Here Comes
  the Sun - switched on Bach (Moog IIIc)
• 1970s affordable but still monophonic

11
Polyphonic Synths

• Opened up many new possibilities
• Kraftwerk (Autobahm first all-pop hit)
• Other forms of synths mid 80s
• then - MIDI - digital revolution
• 90s manufacturers trying to use digital
  technology to emulate classic early synths

12
Other Instruments

• Hammond Organ (Doors)
• Fender Rhodes
• Theremin
• Mellotron (precursor to the Fairlight) -
  Strawberry Fields and Stairway to Heaven

13
Sampling

• The Australian produced Fairlight - 50,000 but
  could do it all and was an instrument that could
  be played
• Buggles - Video killed the radio star - Trevor
  Horn/Art of Noise
• Sampler allowed non-instrument sounds to be used
  musically - Kate Bush - Baboushka.
• Sampling could do away with live musicians

14
Sequencing and more

• Sequencing, sampling and multi-tracking together
  on Michael Jacksons Triller (1984)
• All digital recording (DDD) Dire Straits Brothers
  in Arms 1985
• Cut and Paste audio/sampling Fatboy Slims Praise
  and Paul Hardcastles Nineteen

15
Economics of Technology

• It gets cheaper. Early Moogs 10,000 now 200
• Early 60s multi-tracks could only be done by pro
  studios - all all digital 8-track costs around
  400 with effects. Its possible to but all the
  tech to do Sargeant Pepper for less that 1000

16
Musical Marxism

• Means of production in the hands of the people -
  but now they seldom have the skills to use it!
• Previous generations would have filtered out poor
  musicians/singers and amateur music would never
  have got to the public - now they can

17
Talent?

• Anyone can make a CD-quality 16-bit digital
  recording - there is no talent filter but the
  listeners ear. Also technology can correct
  anything!
• Musicians/singers do not need to be trained - is
  this good or bad?

18
Creative Questions

• Push the technology as far as its limitations -
  and the music changes to accommodate it. E.g.
  drum loops of late 80s based on the short loops
  that computer memories could handle
• Monophonic synths create the dark sparse single
  note sounds of early synth artists

19
New ways of making music

• Using technologys strengths to inspire new
  developments
• Machine-like timbre of analogue synths developed
  into experimental pop that was deliberated
  mechanical - Tangerine Dream
• Software sequencers encouraged coping chunks of
  music - repetitive dance music where special
  effects had to maintain the interest - filters,
  etc

20
Pitch-Quantising and Bedroom Passions

• Bringing the voice up or down to the nearest
  semitone - led to special effects on voices-
  pitch quantising on Chers Believe
• Bedroom recordings - CD quality but with
  home-made charm. Your Woman by White Town was
  recorded on a bedreeom 8-track by Jyoti Mishra
  and debuted at no.1 in 1997 UK charts. Mobys
  Play went platinum