Help writing a school paper? Please read!!

[mc437]

I am a PhD student in history and I am writing a paper for a class on the history of the home recording studio. I was wondering if you all could point me in the direction of some reading materials that could be helpful on this subject. Anything pertinent such as changes in home recording technology, constructing a home studio, reasons for having a home studio, etc. These have to be citeable sources for an academic paper. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks!

[kayagum]

Internet Message Board <> Academic Research

[thecheat]

you could probably just do a time lapse of my basement and then my apartment for the last 9 years or so....


Chris

[I'm Painting Again]

the answer to 9 out of 10 questions is money..

politics & economics that shaped the development and manufacture of affordable recording technology..the big one that stands out in my mind is the introduction of the monolithic micro integrated circuit..a lot of this is analogous to the computer industry and the military or "war industry"..

[Max]

Internet Message Board <> Academic Research

Why not? I have written a dissertation in English linguistics on "linguistic aspects of recording engineer's language" and used lots of data (language) from message boards.

[kayagum]

Internet Message Board <> Academic Research

Why not? I have written a dissertation in English linguistics on "linguistic aspects of recording engineer's language" and used lots of data (language) from message boards.

You actually used the messageboard text as primary source research, which is brilliant.

Asking us to do secondary research on the original poster's behalf because they're too lazy to google (much less just UTFSF)- that's pretty bad.

[The Real MC]

Good luck! What time tomorrow morning is the paper due?

[I'm Painting Again]

Good luck! What time tomorrow morning is the paper due?

LOLed

[Mark Alan Miller]

Good luck! What time tomorrow morning is the paper due?

Coffee out-the-nose lol.


no offense to the OP. Best of luck to you with the paper.

[JGriffin]

These have to be citeable sources for an academic paper.

Back issues of Electronic Musician and EQ, go back as far as you can, though you're gonna get lots of stuff from the 1980s and 90s (and early oughts) mainly. The entire run of Tape Op will also be useful.

R/E/P mag and Mix will be somewhat helpful though not as much since they're geared towards bigger studios...though the Mix articles on early Mackie and ADAT products will be useful.

For home studio stuff in the 1970s, look for information on Bruce Springsteen's "Nebraska" and early (pre-Elektra) releases by Shoes.

[mc437]

These have to be citeable sources for an academic paper.

Back issues of Electronic Musician and EQ, go back as far as you can, though you're gonna get lots of stuff from the 1980s and 90s (and early oughts) mainly. The entire run of Tape Op will also be useful.

R/E/P mag and Mix will be somewhat helpful though not as much since they're geared towards bigger studios...though the Mix articles on early Mackie and ADAT products will be useful.

For home studio stuff in the 1970s, look for information on Bruce Springsteen's "Nebraska" and early (pre-Elektra) releases by Shoes.

Thanks for this, this is the sort of help I' looking for. I'm not really familiar with all of the recording publications.
As for the rest of you smartasses, thanks for nothing. The paper is due in May, thanks very much. And I'm not asking anyone to do any research for me, primary or otherwise. I am conducting interviews with local home studio enthusiasts, which will account for much of my primary material. I was simply looking for some advice on useful publications, that's all.

[>Mojave_Gary<]

I had to do a paper last year on persons whom had influenced the electric guitar and in doing so found some cool stuff on Les Paul. Googled of course. Some of what I remember reading had to do with his home studio. I beleive it was circa 1932 approx. try Googling him and maybe you can find some stuff that will be helpful.

[>Mojave_Gary<]

try Googling him and maybe you can find some stuff that will be helpful.

Can you imagine how that would sound if we did'nt know what 'google' was?

[Judas Jetski]

My question is, do we get to read the paper? What PhD program allows you to write a paper on the development of the home studio?

I've got a copy of Stereo Review's Stereo Directory & Buying Guide from 1974. If you read it as an audiophile, it's amusing enough. If you were to look at it with an eye for "what here could I use to record my band" you would no doubt come up with some useful first-hand material. Like for instance that the TEAC 3340S (four-track, 15 & 7.5 ips variable) was available as audiophile gear (quadraphonic, I assume) but was also intended for production as well, and cost $999.50. That's $200 more than a ReVox A-77 which would not let you multitrack, and $150 less than a top of the line TEAC 7010GSL auto-reverse tape deck (7.5 & 3.75 ips, four heads, etc. but no multitracking ability).

If you were then to find out how much a 40-4 (1/4" 4 track, 15 & 7.5 ips) would have cost at the time and you'd have a pretty good spread of pricing for small-format tape decks in the mid-70's. Although I have to say, the fact that the 40-4 isn't even mentioned in this catalog has to mean something. Maybe they weren't making it yet, and if you wanted to run a small-format studio you'd need to buy audiophile-grade gear. Or maybe it has more to do with the fact that the 40-4 was designed for production rooms and the 3340s was intended more for a consumer market. Either way, it seems like that says something important.

What manual of style do you use? Does it allow for oral history? I know a couple of guys... probably you do too....

[mc437]

My question is, do we get to read the paper? What PhD program allows you to write a paper on the development of the home studio?

I've got a copy of Stereo Review's Stereo Directory & Buying Guide from 1974. If you read it as an audiophile, it's amusing enough. If you were to look at it with an eye for "what here could I use to record my band" you would no doubt come up with some useful first-hand material. Like for instance that the TEAC 3340S (four-track, 15 & 7.5 ips variable) was available as audiophile gear (quadraphonic, I assume) but was also intended for production as well, and cost $999.50. That's $200 more than a ReVox A-77 which would not let you multitrack, and $150 less than a top of the line TEAC 7010GSL auto-reverse tape deck (7.5 & 3.75 ips, four heads, etc. but no multitracking ability).

If you were then to find out how much a 40-4 (1/4" 4 track, 15 & 7.5 ips) would have cost at the time and you'd have a pretty good spread of pricing for small-format tape decks in the mid-70's. Although I have to say, the fact that the 40-4 isn't even mentioned in this catalog has to mean something. Maybe they weren't making it yet, and if you wanted to run a small-format studio you'd need to buy audiophile-grade gear. Or maybe it has more to do with the fact that the 40-4 was designed for production rooms and the 3340s was intended more for a consumer market. Either way, it seems like that says something important.

What manual of style do you use? Does it allow for oral history? I know a couple of guys... probably you do too....

This is not my dissertation or anything. It is a term paper for a class on landscape history-and by "landscape" we mean the built environment. Home recording studios are a distinctly vernacular form of "built" environment. This paper focuses on the history of the home studios as a built vernacular landscape form. As such, I'm interested in the structure itself and its importance in the greater music world, and not as much in the recording process, although technology, prices, consumer electronics and other topics are definitely of value to this paper. I use the Chicago style of citation, and oral interviews are absolutely allowed in this type of paper. Trade publications from the manufacturers are great as well. I'll google TEAC and Fostex and others to find buyer's guides and such from the 70s and 80s (which I believe is really the era of the rise of home recording in a viable way). Thanks, and if you have any persons of interest or sources from these persons you could steer me toward, then by all means please pm me that info if you could. Thanks!