...
"the obsolescence of a technology is not the end of its relevance. Indeed,... "
"Implicit ... is the idea that the possibilities of a technology can never be completely exhausted,..."
“Portastudio”... "recording studio and ... portability – two areas that in many respects seem at odds with one another."
"the process of recording began receiving more and more attention as an important part of the actual production, and not just the reproduction, of music."
"the idea of the studio as a musical instrument in its own right has gained increasing acceptance since the... 1960s."
"With the prefix “porta” the idea of the hermetically sealed and immobile studio was challenged."
"two of the most significant innovations of the technology: the fact that multi-track recording could now be done anywhere there is power, and the integration of a mixing console and cassette-tape recording unit."
"no shortage of literature on these subjects (see Peter McIan on portable studios,..."
"(2002) this period sound came to be thought of as a signal and the idea was to achieve as a high a level of signal clarity as possible... "
"two aspects ... that are often minimized in recording studios: the sounds of the place of recording, and the sounds of the recording process itself."
"books on the portastudio approach the location of recording as a problem that needs to be remedied."
"Distortion is compounded by overloading the portastudio circuitry and saturating the tape. With each bounce (combining two or more previously recorded tracks to one) the sound changes in unpredictable ways -"
"the sounds of the non-studio location of recording can be explored as a creative possibility with regards to the equipment as well."
"certain affordances of the portastudio may influence the creative process."
"the dialectic between control and loss of control and its influence on musical composition."
"a lack of consistency and control ... is also a creative opportunity."
"Instead of using the medium as two sides of two tracks (stereo: left and right), the portastudio used the cassette as one side of four tracks and increased the speed of the tape transport to achieve a higher level of sound quality. A medium that had previously been used for the reproduction of recordings could more easily than ever before be used for their production. The combination of cassette-tape technology, a mixer, and a recording unit formed the core of the portastudio, and this integration afforded particular technical and artistic possibilities."
"Further research into the portastudio’s past and current position among home-recording enthusiasts would help to provide a better-rounded social context"
"an aesthetic that views the sounds of the recording environment as an important part of the process rather than an intrusion."
"In the past the relevance of the portastudio with regards to the possibilities of the location, the methods, and the content of what was recorded was often over-shadowed by the discourse that promoted the portastudio as device meant to follow the norms and conventions of the recording industry. Today, the relevance of the cassette-based portastudio is often obscured by its obsolescence. However, the obsolescence of the portastudio need not conceal the technology or reduce its potential."
"Notes:
1. Throughout this paper the term “portastudio” ... refer(s) to cassette-based portastudios unless otherwise noted.
2. Field recording existed for many years prior to the portastudio, but it did not carry with it the idea of the studio in the same way, and multi-tracking was impossible.
3. All recorded sound is mediated – to record a sound in its “original” form is something of an oxymoron.
4. David Morton (2004) cites 1979 as the year that the ascendancy of the cassette became clear - the same year Tascam launched its Portastudio."
