Magnetic tape was pivotal for the advancement of recorded music in the latter half of the 20th Century. It was first created in 1927 by Fritz Pfleumer after experimenting with tape coated with powdered iron compounds. He used a paper strip, upon which hardened steel dust was set with varnish (Hutchinson, 2023). This magnetic tape was far superior in acoustic quality to the previously used steel wire recorders. In 1928, Pfleumer built the first magnetic tape device with which the tapes could be played. In 1932, Pfleumer sold the rights to use his magnetic tape to AEG. His invention was far from perfect as the tape is very susceptible to physical and environmental damage, nonetheless the invention of magnetic recording tape represented a quantum leap forward in audio technology. For the first time, thanks to tape, sound could be manipulated. What had been the representation of a singular moment in time became a malleable moment in space.
One of the most ambitious and influential of all Beatles recordings is “Tomorrow Never Knows” from the 1966 Album “Revolver”. Primarily written by John Lennon, there are numerous examples of creative recording and mixing techniques using magnetic tape from the production of this song. Lennon wanted the vocal for this LSD-influenced song to sound like a hundred chanting Tibetan monks, and although The Beatles at this point could do essentially whatever they wanted at the famed Abbey Road Studios, this was not possible. Ultimately, Engineer Geoff Emerick creatively ran Lennon’s vocal through a Leslie Speaker and re-recorded it. Lennon showed a general dislike for doubling his own vocal, so Ken Townsend developed automatic double tracking or ADT, a process in which the signal from the sync head of one tape machine was delayed through a second tape machine. The tape speed and therefore the pitch was modulated slightly, allowing the engineers to simulate a doubled vocal or other performance.
McCartney, who had been influenced by Karlheinz Stockhausen and other composers, brought in a selection of quarter-inch tape loops he had recorded at home. The infamous “seagull sound” is actually a sped-up recording of someone (possibly McCartney) laughing. The other Beatles provided home recorded tape loops which were ultimately played through various tape machines in Abbey Road, each supervised by technicians, with the band and Producer George Martin manning the faders as the loops were recorded on top of the existing arrangement. This was quite a departure in terms of production technique not only for the Beatles, but for any popular music group at the time. Ringo’s repetitive but unique drum performance which was arguably similar to “Ticket to Ride” from 1965, was close miked and heavily compressed, and provided an excellent backdrop for the organised chaos of tape loops and vocal experimentation. Although later the hyper-critical Lennon expressed disappointment that the song lacked due to not having the chanting monks he originally envisioned, that didn’t stop this recording from being revolutionary and the perfect centrepiece for what is perhaps the bands’ most experimental album. It has been covered by dozens of artists, and its influence can be heard in artists ranging from hip-hop to electronic.
Hutchinson, L. (2023) .” science and its times: Understanding the social significance of scientific discovery. . encyclopedia.com. 15 Nov. 2023 ., Encyclopedia.com. Available at: https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/development-tape-recorder (Accessed: 07 December 2023).