Ping pong recording technique
Encyclopedia
The Ping Pong recording technique (also called ping-ponging or "bouncing" tracks, and reduction mixing) is used in sound recording, to condense program material by dubbing multiple parts to just one or two tracks, allowing more room for overdubbing
or to simplify mixdown
s.
The two most common methods consist of A)Dubbing tracks
between two tape recorder
s (or tracks on a multitrack recorder) connected through a mixing console
, and B)Dubbing tracks internally, through the onboard mixer of many machines, including Portastudio
s and similar multitrackers. In both cases, a new instrument
, voice, or other material may be added with each bounce, depending on the setup's mixing capabilities.
In analog recording
, the audio quality normally decreases with each generation, while in digital recording
, the quality is usually preserved. In either case, the most leeway comes with having the best possible source material.
Recording artists who employed such techniques include Herb Alpert
(who made many of his Tijuana Brass recordings playing multiple horn parts, overdubbed and grouped together on tape), Harry Nilsson
and The Carpenters
(who did similar with their voices, building what sounded like a large chorus), future Electric Light Orchestra
leader and producer Jeff Lynne
(who overlaid guitar parts on a home machine, before graduating to studio work), and The Beatles
(who frequently used pairs of four-track recorders linked together).
Ping pong is also a term of derision, in particular applied to early commercial stereo recordings of the late 1950s to mid 1960s which do not have a convincing stereo image or sound-stage. Such recordings were often made in two-track form for mixing in mono, but released as authentic stereo recordings.
Overdubbing
Overdubbing is a technique used by recording studios to add a supplementary recorded sound to a previously recorded performance....
or to simplify mixdown
Audio mixing (recorded music)
In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
s.
The two most common methods consist of A)Dubbing tracks
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
between two tape recorder
Tape recorder
An audio tape recorder, tape deck, reel-to-reel tape deck, cassette deck or tape machine is an audio storage device that records and plays back sounds, including articulated voices, usually using magnetic tape, either wound on a reel or in a cassette, for storage...
s (or tracks on a multitrack recorder) connected through a mixing console
Mixing console
In professional audio, a mixing console, or audio mixer, also called a sound board, mixing desk, or mixer is an electronic device for combining , routing, and changing the level, timbre and/or dynamics of audio signals. A mixer can mix analog or digital signals, depending on the type of mixer...
, and B)Dubbing tracks internally, through the onboard mixer of many machines, including Portastudio
Portastudio
The TASCAM Portastudio was the world's first four track recorder based on a standard compact audio cassette tape.When the original Portastudio 144 made its debut in 1979 it was a revolutionary creative tool...
s and similar multitrackers. In both cases, a new instrument
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
, voice, or other material may be added with each bounce, depending on the setup's mixing capabilities.
In analog recording
Analog recording
Analog recording is a technique used for the recording of analog signals which among many possibilities include audio frequency, analog audio and analog video information for later playback.Analog recording methods store signals as a continual wave in or on the media...
, the audio quality normally decreases with each generation, while in digital recording
Digital recording
In digital recording, digital audio and digital video is directly recorded to a storage device as a stream of discrete numbers, representing the changes in air pressure for audio and chroma and luminance values for video through time, thus making an abstract template for the original sound or...
, the quality is usually preserved. In either case, the most leeway comes with having the best possible source material.
Recording artists who employed such techniques include Herb Alpert
Herb Alpert
Herbert "Herb" Alpert is an American musician most associated with the group variously known as Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass, or TJB. He is also a recording industry executive — he is the "A" of A&M Records...
(who made many of his Tijuana Brass recordings playing multiple horn parts, overdubbed and grouped together on tape), Harry Nilsson
Harry Nilsson
Harry Edward Nilsson III was an American singer-songwriter who achieved the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. On all but his earliest recordings he is credited as Nilsson...
and The Carpenters
The Carpenters
Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo, consisting of sister Karen and brother Richard Carpenter. The Carpenters were the #1 selling American music act of the 1970s. Though often referred to by the public as "The Carpenters", the duo's official name on authorized recordings and...
(who did similar with their voices, building what sounded like a large chorus), future Electric Light Orchestra
Electric Light Orchestra
Electric Light Orchestra were a British rock group from Birmingham who released eleven studio albums between 1971 and 1986 and another album in 2001. ELO were formed to accommodate Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne's desire to create modern rock and pop songs with classical overtones...
leader and producer Jeff Lynne
Jeff Lynne
Jeffrey "Jeff" Lynne is an English songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer who gained fame as the leader and sole constant member of Electric Light Orchestra and was a co-founder and member of The Traveling Wilburys together with George Harrison, Bob...
(who overlaid guitar parts on a home machine, before graduating to studio work), and The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
(who frequently used pairs of four-track recorders linked together).
Ping pong is also a term of derision, in particular applied to early commercial stereo recordings of the late 1950s to mid 1960s which do not have a convincing stereo image or sound-stage. Such recordings were often made in two-track form for mixing in mono, but released as authentic stereo recordings.