Audio Engineering

The Effect of Modern Technology in Audio Engineering

Introduction

Audio engineering provides a critical, mediating link between the performance of sound and its reception by audiences. Audio engineers serve in several capacities, and they are typically responsible for evaluating the conditions under which music is to be performed and/or recorded and for overseeing the technical aspects of the performance or studio session. Both their technical expertise and their audio sensibilities are called upon as they select, position and operate audio reinforcement and/or recording equipment, and as they mix sound. In the case of recording sessions, audio engineers also prepare recordings for mastering and mass production, making alterations in the sound quality of the recordings that will often have an impact on their suitability for different media and their success in the marketplace.

Traditionally, audio engineers are not involved in aesthetic and sound decision-making, as that role is generally undertaken by producers. However, it must be recognized that the decisions made by sound engineers, and the practices in which they are engaged, are inherently aesthetic in nature, and, in many instances, the roles of musician, producer and engineer overlap in subtle, yet significant, ways.

The tasks and responsibilities associated with audio engineering have changed radically over the past century. In some cases, these changes can be related to fundamental changes in the technology of audio recording, and in other cases to the changing economic organization of the record industry, the demands of musicians and the evolution of musical styles. In the early, acoustical days of recording, it was the task of the engineer to position the performers carefully in front of the recording horn in such a way as to achieve an acceptable musical balance, to prepare the mechanical devices associated with the recording turntables and to prepare the wax platters (shaving, polishing and heating them) for recording. The engineer's primary responsibility was to capture the performance as well as possible, given the relatively crude tools available, and to ensure the technical quality of the recording - that is, make sure that the recorded grooves did not over-modulate or otherwise exceed acceptable limits.

Discussion

Modern technology of audio engineering has thus become a multistage process involving a number of discrete tasks. As audio technology has developed and become more specialized, audio engineers are sought after both for their understanding of the overall recording process and for their knowledge of the state-of-the-art developments in new technology. Audio engineering thus plays a critical role in the recording process, acting as a link between technology, the musicians, sound and music.

Certainly, by the 1980s and 1990s, many popular musicians had recognized the importance of modern technology in audio engineering in the recording process and had developed close relationships and artistic collaborations with audio engineers. Often, as in the case of rap music, they broke with conventional engineering standards and recording aesthetics, and pushed the technical capabilities of recording devices beyond normal expectations in search of a unique sound. Others took it upon themselves to learn the basic principles ...