1. Be My Baby by The Ronettes (1963).
But how did Phil Spector create the wall of sound?
A studio space designed with echo chambers
One of the most important elements of the Wall of Sound technique is Spector’s effective use of studio space. Traditionally, in a recording session, each instrument is recorded with minimal interference from others. But instead of doing this, Spector used the studio space to allow sounds to bounce off the walls and blend together, creating an ambiance reminiscent of a concert hall. He arranged the studio space specifically to enhance this effect and used echo chambers—acoustically reflective spaces with surfaces that reflect sound waves—to create natural reverb, giving the music a sense of space and depth. Spector then added even more reverb to the track during the mixing process to maximize this effect.
A large number of musicians playing in unison for hit songs
Some instruments would play the same parts of the song in unison, and Spector sometimes even tripled these parts. The result of blending all these elements together was a fuller and richer sound that made the music sound good.
Recording process and mixing the song in mono, not stereo
Unlike stereo recordings, where sounds can be panned left or right, mono recordings present all elements directly in front of the listener, with no spatial separation.
2. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles (1967).
“Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” by The Beatles is often considered one of the most innovative and iconic Beatles albums of all time.
A unified concept
With this new album, The Beatles aimed to break free from their previous image and sound. They wanted to create a work of art perceived as a unified entity rather than just a collection of individual songs.
Recorded on a four-track tape machine
At the time, Abbey Road Studios had four-track machines available, as eight-track equipment was not installed until late 1967. As always when a limit is placed, it encourages creativity and so innovative solutions were found for overdubbing and layering sounds. The Beatles and George Martin used this opportunity to experiment with various techniques that would become revolutionary.
Innovative use of instruments and orchestras
This album was all about experimentation, and that included experimenting with new sounds and instruments, and of course, innovative ways to record them in their pop recordings. If you listen to some songs on the album such as « A Day in the Life » and « She’s Leaving Home», you can hear a full orchestra. For the song, « Within You Without You», a full Indian orchestra was used which included traditional Indian instruments such as the sitar and the tabla, following a trip to India by George Harrison.
Have a listen to the track « Within You Without You» to hear for yourself.
Backmasking
Backmasking basically involves playing a recording backward and it was a technique that was explored by The Beatles in this album (« Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite! ») but more so later on. Concerning backmasking, there’s a conversation going on on the internet that The Beatles used this technique to hide secret messages in their song, as well as to create a psychedelic effect.
Creative recording techniques such as artificial double tracking
Always in the name of experimentation, various sound techniques were used by George Martin and The Beatles, such as tape loops and automatic double tracking (ADT) which were used to create a richer sound. How ADT works is by taking the original audio signal and duplicating it with slight variations.
3. The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd (1973).
Another of the most emblematic albums to stick in people’s minds is « The Dark Side of the Moon,” by Pink Floyd, released in 1973 and which immediately found huge success.
Let’s take a look at what exactly makes it an innovative work of art and which techniques affect the overall sound.
Mixed in quadrophonic sound
It was one of the first albums to be mixed in quadraphonic sound. Basically what this means is that four separate audio channels were used to produce a more immersive sound experience. For example, on the track « Time » from the album, delay effects were used on the guitar solo. And on the hit songs “Brain Damage” and “Any Colour You Like“, Rick Wright, the band’s keyboardist used the Leslie speaker to add an atmospheric quality to his part.
Another thing that was used to emphasize the feeling of depth was panning and the various sounds were moved across the stereo field in a creative manner. Have a listen to the track « On the Run » below to really hear this effect as the various sounds that make up the track move from one side of the stereo field to the other.
The use of analog synthesizers
The use of analog synthesizers by Pink Floyd really gives the entire album its distinctive sound and makes it rich with a new variety of sonic textures. If you listen again to the song « On the Run » just above, you’ll hear some of these analog synthesizers, particularly the EMS Synthi AKS that gives the track its futuristic quality.
The extensive use of sound effects
Various sounds such as heartbeats, clocks, and laughter – as well as bits of conversations – were recorded and integrated into the tracks. In addition, some of these sounds were looped to create repetitive patterns and sound effects. The track ‘Money’ is a good example: the sound of the cash register was created by looping the sound of coins being shuffled.
To conclude on ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’, the techniques used on this album collectively contributed to its revolutionary nature and made it one of the most influential albums in the history of rock music with a huge amount of hit songs in one place.
4. Discovery by Daft Punk (2001).
Last but by no means least is Daft Punk’s Discovery album, released in 2001.
The extensive use of sampling
Sampling has always been used extensively in electronic music, but what Daft Punk did differently with their « Discovery » album was to draw on a wider range of influences than what was usual at the time. Some of the most popular songs of the album and overall hit songs use this technique of having reference tracks.
If you listen to the two tracks below, first « Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger » by Daft Punk and then « Cola Bottle Baby » by Edwin Birdsong, you’ll hear that Daft Punk sampled the main riff from the latter and then they heavily reprocessed and looped it to create the foundation for their track. It means that when you press play, the influence of Edwin Birdsong’s track can be heard as well as Daft Punk’s distinctive sound.
The use of analog synthesizers and drum machines
At the time of Discovery’s release in 2001, the use of vintage analog synthesizers and drum machines in electronic music was relatively rare.
Integration of Live Instrumentation
It’s safe to say that « Discovery » is regarded as a gem of electronic music, and Daft Punk’s out-of-the-box blend of electronic sounds with live instruments is another key element that helped the album create its distinctive feel.
For instance, the lead guitar riff on the track « Digital Love » is played by Daft Punk’s very own Thomas Bangalter, an accomplished musician and it’s this integration of the live music section with the rest of the electronic production and unique vocal delivery that creates the richness of the album.
In conclusion, the important thing to remember about these examples is that there are no rules when it comes to creating popular music and new songs. All these artists shared one thing in common when creating their works of art: curiosity and the desire to experiment with sound in order to reach new levels of creativity.
—
Send your music to curators and pros of the music industry 👇
