Department of Recorded Music

Department of Recorded Music
Name	Department of Recorded Music
Established	20th century
Type	Academic department
City	New York City
Country	United States
Affiliations	Juilliard School, Berklee College of Music, New York University, Columbia University

Contents

Department of Recorded Music The Department of Recorded Music is an academic and professional unit focused on sound recording, music production, audio engineering, and music business. It operates within conservatories, universities, and technical institutes linked to institutions such as Juilliard School, Berklee College of Music, New York University, Columbia University, and Royal College of Music. The department bridges practices associated with Atlantic Records, Capitol Records, Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music Group through pedagogy and industry engagement.

Overview

Programs in the Department of Recorded Music combine elements derived from studios associated with Abbey Road Studios, Electric Lady Studios, Sun Studio, Motown Studios, and Capitol Studios. Faculty and visiting artists often include figures connected to Quincy Jones, Phil Spector, Rick Rubin, Brian Eno, and Dr. Dre. The curriculum references technologies and standards developed by RCA Victor, Dolby Laboratories, AES (Audio Engineering Society), MP3, High-Resolution Audio, and companies such as Avid Technology, Apple Inc., Roland Corporation, Yamaha Corporation, and Shure Incorporated. Partnerships are maintained with festivals and events like SXSW, Glastonbury Festival, Coachella Festival, Montreux Jazz Festival, and The NAMM Show.

Origins trace to early 20th-century recording practices linked to Thomas Edison, Emile Berliner, Victor Talking Machine Company, and Columbia Phonograph Company. Twentieth-century expansion paralleled milestones involving Les Paul, Sam Phillips, Alan Lomax, George Martin, and studios such as Sun Studio and Abbey Road Studios. Mid-century pedagogical shifts were influenced by institutions like Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, Curtis Institute of Music, Royal College of Music, and Conservatoire de Paris. Later developments incorporated digital revolutions championed by Peter Gabriel, Steinberg Media Technologies, Propellerhead Software, Ableton AG, and Avid Technology during the 1980s–2000s. Recent growth aligns with contemporary platforms and companies such as Spotify, Apple Music, SoundCloud, Bandcamp, YouTube Music, TikTok, and Patreon.

Coursework typically references techniques associated with practitioners like George Martin, Phil Ramone, Tony Visconti, Nigel Godrich, and Syd Barrett while drawing on engineering lineage from Les Paul, Alfred Newman, and Edgar Villchur. Core modules include studio production, mixing, mastering, microphone techniques, signal processing, and music business practices tied to ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, RIAA, and IFPI. Electives cover genres and traditions exemplified by Jazz at Lincoln Center, Blue Note Records, Motown Records, Sun Records, Chess Records, and Def Jam Recordings. Advanced seminars analyze landmark recordings such as Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Kind of Blue, Thriller, Pet Sounds, and The Dark Side of the Moon. Instruction integrates software and hardware from Avid Pro Tools, Ableton Live, Logic Pro, Steinberg Cubase, Native Instruments, Universal Audio, and Focusrite.

Facilities emulate professional environments inspired by Abbey Road Studios, Electric Lady Studios, Capitol Studios, and Studio 54-era spaces. On-site studios use consoles and outboard gear from manufacturers like Neve Electronics, SSL (Solid State Logic), API (Audio Products International), Universal Audio, and Manley Laboratories. Monitoring and acoustics reference design principles associated with Julius Shulman-style architecture, Eero Saarinen-era acoustical spaces, and consultants such as Harry F. Olson and Glen Ballou. Mastering suites adhere to standards promulgated by AES (Audio Engineering Society), ITU-R, and SMPTE, and incorporate analog media formats pioneered by RCA Victor and EMI Group as well as digital converters from Apogee Electronics and Benchmark Media Systems.

Category:Music schools