The Art of Record Production: An Introductory Reader for a New Academic Field

The playback of recordings is the primary means of experiencing music in contemporary society, and in recent years "classical" musicologists and popular music theorists have begun to examine the ways in which the production of recordings affects not just the sound of the final product but also musical aesthetics more generally.

This book is designed as a general introductory reader, a text book for undergraduate degree courses studying the creative processes involved in the production of recorded music. The aim is to introduce students to the variety of approaches and methodologies that are currently being employed by scholars in this field.

"The Art of Record Production is an impressive, important achievement. Just a glance at the list of contributors -all prominent scholars and practitioners- reveals the value of this volume. But take a closer look and it becomes clear what a thoughtfully produced, methodologically diverse, thoroughly researched, and engaging work this is. The Art of Record Production is an ideal companion for anyone interested in the aesthetic, cultural, musical, and technical aspects of recorded music" (Mark Katz).

"This is an excellent and stimulating contribution to an understudied area. The book will be welcomed by everybody seriously interested in recorded music.
Students in particular will benefit from the broad range of questions and subjects covered in this publication" (Peter Wicke).

CONTENIDO:

General Editor?s Preface
List of Figures and Music Examples
List of Tables
List of Contributors
Acknowledgements

1. Introduction (Simon Frith, Simon Zagorski-Thomas)

Part I. Historical Approaches
2. The Lacquer Disc for Immediate Playback: Professional Recording and Home Recording from the 1920s to the 1950s (George Brock-Nannestad)
3. The Sounds of Space: Studio as Instrument in the Era of High Fidelity (Susan Schmidt Horning)
4. No-Fi: Crafting a Language of Recorded Music in 1950s Pop (Albin Zak III)
5. The US vs the UK Sound: Meaning in Music Production in the 1970s (Simon Zagorski-Thomas)
6. The End of the World as We Know It: The Changing Role of the Studio in the Age of the Internet (Paul Théberge)

Interlude 1: Comments and Commentaries by Industry Professionals and Producers

Part II. Theoretical Approaches
7. Beyond a Musicology of Production (Allan Moore)
8. ?I?m Not Hearing What You?re Hearing?: The Conflict and Connection of Headphone Mixes and Multiple Audioscapes (Alan Williams)
9. The Self-Effacing Producer: Absence Summons Presence (Michael Jarrett)
10. Rethinking Creativity: Record Production and the Systems Model (Phillip McIntyre)
11. Considering Space in Recorded Music (William Moylan)

Interlude 2: Comments and Commentaries by Industry Professionals and Producers

Part III. Case Studies
12. Simulating the Ideal Performance: Suvi Raj Grubb and Classical Music Production (Andrew Blake)
13. The Place of the Producer in the Discourse of Rock (Simon Frith)
14. The Beach Boys? Pet Sounds and the Musicology of Record Production (Jan Butler)
15. Tubby?s Dub Style: The Live Art of Record Production (Sean Williams)
16. Recording the Revolution: 50 Years of Music Studios in Revolutionary Cuba (Jan Fairley, Alexandrine Boudreault-Fournier)

Interlude 3: Comments and Commentaries by Industry Professionals and Producers

Afterword
Bibliography
Index