Ping-pong recording
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Ping-pong recording (also called ping-ponging, bouncing tracks, or reduction mixing) is a method of
The two most common methods consist of
- Dubbing tracks between two tape recorders (or tracks on a multitrack recorder) connected through a mixing console
- Dubbing tracks internally, through the onboard mixer of many machines, including Portastudios 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.
Early examples
The method was employed by
Other terms
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.
References
- ^ Linett, Mark (1997). "Notes on Recording and Mixing". The Pet Sounds Sessions (Booklet). The Beach Boys. Capitol Records.