Use of Technology by Musicians in Live Performance

Technology has had a tremendous impact on music, in both performance and recording. Here are just a few examples of musicians who have used technology innovatively.

The Beatles - Recording Technology

The Beatles' recording technology developed during the 1960s and influenced the way music was recorded for generations to come. Effects achieved on their recordings include sampling and artificial double tracking as well as the creative use of the multi-track recording machines. They also used classical instruments on their recordings and guitar feedback.

The Beatles first used samples of other music on "Yellow Submarine". The brass band solo was constructed from a sousa march by George Martin and Geoff Emerick, the original solo was in the same key and was transferred to tape, cut into small segments and re-arranged to form a brief solo which was added to the song.

"Rain", the first rock track featuring a backwards vocal track arose when Lennon accidently loaded a reel-to-reel tape on his machine backwards and essentially liked what he heard. A quick follow-up was the reversed guitar on "I'm Only Sleeping" which features a dual guitar solo by George Harrison played backwards. Likewise, a backing track of reversed drums and cymbals made its way onto the verses of "Strawberry Fields Forever".

Radiohead - Revolutionise the Live Performance with CCTV Technology

Radiohead, an internationally recognised rock band, have a reputation for innovation in their music, selling millions of records worldwide. Each new Radiohead album outlines a new direction, always achieveing critically acclaimed success for the band.

Central to Radiohead's tour is the use of "covert style" video recording, which incorporates the use of CCTV during live performances. This is an element of the live performance that has been developed over the past four tours by Andi Watson. When the current tour was planned, it became obvious that there was a requirement for high quality remotely controlled pan/tilt/zoom dome cameras, due to the demanding environment.

After extensive research and demonstrations, Andi Watson selected six Li-L:in fast dome cameras and their associated keyboard controllers to video the tour. The six cameras are contriolled during the performance by three operators each controlling two cameras. The reliability of the Li-Lin equipment used has enabled Andi to push the boundaries of technology much more.