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The Studio: The Beatles and Beyond

Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason continues the story of the recording studio, revealing how The Beatles broke new ground, putting the power of production into the artists' hands.

Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason continues the story of the recording studio, exploring how bands such as The Beatles and The Beach Boys brought avant-garde production techniques into the mainstream during the 1960s.

The programme also charts the role jazz and dub reggae played in advancing studio production, and how increasingly sophisticated studio technology slowed down the recording process.

But the advent of portable tape recorders – and then digital technology - saw the studio begin to shrink in size, while at the same time expanding access to the recording process.

With it came a boom in in alternative music which was previously ignored by the major record labels, and bedroom producers making music on home computers kick-started an explosion in electronic dance music.

Today, digital studio technology has become so sophisticated that it can help even the shakiest of singers deliver the perfect performance.

The series is produced in association with the Open University.

Contributors

Ken Scott, sound engineer and producer who worked with The Beatles and David Bowie

Prof Simon Zagorski-Thomas, The London College of Music at the University of West London

Brian Kehew, producer and historian, co-author of Recording the Beatles

Dr Sean Williams, The Open University

Arthur Baker, producer and remixer

Chris Lord-Alge, mix engineer

Mark Mothersbaugh, Devo

Prof Susan Rogers, Berklee College of Music and former sound engineer for Prince

Roni Size

Andy Hildebrand, inventor of Autotune

(Photo: The Beatles at the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ in 1965 Credit: ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ)

53 minutes

Last on

Sun 16 Jun 2019 21:06GMT

Broadcasts

  • Sat 15 Jun 2019 11:06GMT
  • Sun 16 Jun 2019 19:06GMT
  • Sun 16 Jun 2019 21:06GMT

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Nick Mason speaks to The Open University about Pink Floyd’s unique musical innovations.