What the Masters Teach Us: Multitrack Audio Archives and Popular Music Education

Abstract

Studies have shown that the recording studio sector has suffered a significant decline within the broader musical economies (Leyshon 2009), which has in turn affected popular music education and specifically the area of music production. For example, the continued loss of many larger recording studio facilities has resulted in fewer internship and apprenticeship opportunities for students, once a pillar of many music production programs. Perhaps more important is the fragmentation of the knowledge capitol that was traditionally found in larger recording facilities. Evidence that this knowledge is still valued by the broader community abounds on the internet, with any number of tutorials by commercially successful and historically significant engineers or producers on “how to give your mix more punch” or “tips on recording drums like a pro.” Indeed, entire business models are built upon providing a virtual studio experience and allowing consumers to access the knowledge, skills, and materials associated with that space. A prominent example of this practice is the Shaking Through online series offered by Weathervane Music, a recording studio based in Philadelphia. Their multimedia website consists of episodes centered on an artist or a band as they record a new song, and subscribers can watch documentarystyle videos of the band recording in the studio, along with a traditional music video (Weathervane Music 2014). The multitrack audio from the sessions is available to download alongside other material such as mix stems and recording notes. The recordings are advertised by Weathervane as “high-end” and “professionally recorded,” and subscribers are encouraged to create and share their own mixes of the song so they can receive feedback, critique, and encouragement from the studio’s in-house mix engineers.