Interview with Tom Dowd, March 16, 1999

Interview Summary

Susan Schmidt Horning and music producer and audio engineer Tom Dowd begin by discussing Dowd's former colleague, Syd Feldman. The interview then talks about the formation of Audio Engineering Society (AES).
The interview then moves to the topic of the sort of training that audio engineers were receiving in the 1950s and 1960s and discusses the unions involved in the recording industry.
Dowd then moves on to discuss the more technical aspects of audio engineering, such as microphone placement and the importance of preventing locked grooves in records. Dowd further discusses the serendipitous relationship with fellow audio engineer Rein Narma. After that, Dowd discusses the advent of multi-tracking in the recording business and the effect it had on musical performance. He also discusses the technology available in recording studios at Atlantic Records and Capitol Records. The interview then ends with a discussion about the difference between east coast and west coast recording, the Ampex Electric Corporation, and Dowd's current projects.

Interview Keyword

Dowd, Tom Audio devices Audio engineering Music producers Capitol Records Atlantic Records Sapphire Club Sapphire Group Audio Engineering Society (AES) Ampex Electric Corporation

Interview LC Subject

Sound--Recording and reproducing Ampex Corporation Music Decca Records (Firm) History of science and technology Dowd, Tom Capitol Records, Inc. Audio Engineering Society Sound--Recording and reproducing--History Sound recording industry Sound recording industry--History Sound recordings Audio equipment industry Record labels

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Interview Usage

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