Interview with Bruce Gigax, January 24, 1996

Partial Transcript: --varies tremendously.

Segment Synopsis: Gigax discusses the early days of audio recording in Cleveland, Ohio.

Keywords: Audio Recording Studio; Audio devices; Cleveland (Ohio); Davis, Sammy, Jr. (Artist); Douglas, Michael (Artist); Fontaine, Frank (Artist); Gigax, Bruce; Guggenheim Award; Humperdinck, Engelbert (Artist); Jackie Gleeson Show, the (Television program); MGM Records; Malakar, Vlad; Managers; Music; Petito, Joe; Ponytails, the (Artist); Rosenberg, Arnold; Salupo, Ross; Salupo, Vic.; Stafford, Jim (Artist); Technology; The Candy Man (Song)

Subjects: Cleveland (Ohio); Davis, Sammy, Jr., 1925-1990.; Fontaine, Frank; History of science and technology; MGM Records.; Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer; Michael, Douglas; Michael, Douglas C., 1957-; Music; Rosenberg, Arnold Julius, 1933-; Rosenberg, Arnold L., 1941-; Rosenberg, Arnold S.; Rosenberg, Arnold, 1931-; Sound recording industry; Sound recording industry--History; Sound recordings; Sound--Recording and reproducing; Sound--Recording and reproducing--History; Stafford, Jim

Partial Transcript: Anyway, um, so Joe Petito, Vic Salupo and, who was the third--

Segment Synopsis: Gigax discusses the influence of engineer Vlad Malakar and talks about the early days of Audio Recording Studio in Cleveland, Ohio.

Keywords: Acoustics; Agencies; Audio Recording Studio; Audio devices; Audio engineering; Cleveland (Ohio); Cleveland Recording Studio; Commercial Sound and Image; Editors; Gigax, Bruce; Hearing; Listening; Orchestras; Perry-Payne Building, Cleveland (Ohio); Playhouse Square; Polka music; Recording business; Rock 'n' Roll; Rock music; Rockwell Drive; Rosenberg, Arnold; Videos

Subjects: Cleveland (Ohio); Cleveland Orchestra.; Engineering; History of science and technology; Music; Orchestra.; Polka Band; Polka music.; Rock music.; Rosenberg, Arnold Julius, 1933-; Rosenberg, Arnold L., 1941-; Rosenberg, Arnold S.; Rosenberg, Arnold, 1931-; Sound recording industry; Sound recording industry--History; Sound recordings; Sound--Recording and reproducing; Sound--Recording and reproducing--History

Partial Transcript: But I, but I do remember a story he told me about, he was working with Terry Knight at Audio.

Segment Synopsis: Gigax discusses working with Terry Knight, manager of Grand Funk Railroad.

Keywords: Advertising; Agency Recording Studios; Audio Recording Studio; Gigax, Bruce; Grand Funk Railroad (Artist); I Have Nothing (Song); Ketchum, Sandy; Knight, Terry; Managers; Marcus Advertising; Recording; Recording business; Rock 'n' roll; Roller, Hilda

Subjects: Advertising.; Cleveland (Ohio); Grand Funk Railroad (Musical group); History of science and technology; Knight, Terry; Music; Sound recording industry; Sound recording industry--History; Sound recordings; Sound--Recording and reproducing; Sound--Recording and reproducing--History

Partial Transcript: Getting back to Vlad. Um, this is what I mean about how we take all these different turns, and it's all interesting to me but, you know, I have to realize that your time is limited and I need to get some information.

Segment Synopsis: Gigax discusses the buildings in which Audio Recording Studio recorded.

Keywords: Air conditioning; Audio Recording Studio; Cleveland (Ohio); Clients; East Ohio Gas Building, Cleveland (Ohio); Elevators; KWYC (Radio station); KYW (Radio station); Recording; Recording studios; Sound proof

Subjects: Cleveland (Ohio); History of science and technology; Music; Sound recording industry; Sound recording industry--History; Sound recordings; Sound studios; Sound--Recording and reproducing; Sound--Recording and reproducing--History

Partial Transcript: Started as an intern, actually.

Segment Synopsis: Gigax discusses his early career at Audio Recording Studio and his experiences at Mount Union College in Alliance, Ohio.

Keywords: Alliance (Ohio); Audio Recording Studio; Audio engineering; Career plans; Cleveland Orchestra; Gigax, Bruce; Internships; Majors; Malakar, Vlad; Microphones; Mount Union College; Music; Music producers; Pennsylvania; Pilots; Plane crashes; Vocalists (singers)

Subjects: Alliance (Ohio); Audio Engineering Society; Cleveland (Ohio); Cleveland Orchestra.; History of science and technology; Microphone; Mount Union College; Music; Sound recording industry; Sound recording industry--History; Sound recordings; Sound--Recording and reproducing; Sound--Recording and reproducing--History

Partial Transcript: One thing I want to say, also, if you have--do you have written records?

Segment Synopsis: Gigax describes why there is a dearth of written records from Audio Recording Studio and discusses the issues inherent in archiving audio recording tape.

Keywords: 3M Company; Ampex Electric Corporation; Archives; Audio Recording Studio; Cleveland Orchestra; Cleveland Orchestra Radio Broadcast Service; Clients; Conrad, Bob; Consumers; Digital recording tape; Financial records; Gigax, Bruce; Log books; Malakar, Vlad; Modulation box; Mylar; Recording tape; Recording tape (models): 3M 226; Recording tape (models): 3M 250; Recording tape (models): Betamax; Sony Music Entertainment, Inc.; Stickchon; VHS

Subjects: 3M Company; Ampex Corporation; Cleveland (Ohio); Cleveland Orchestra.; Conrad, Bob; History of science and technology; Music; Radio.; Sony BMG Music Entertainment; Sony Music Entertainment, Inc.; Sound recording industry; Sound recording industry--History; Sound recordings; Sound--Recording and reproducing; Sound--Recording and reproducing--History

Partial Transcript: Um, I'd like to get back to what you know, since there is no written, that you can think of, what you know, 'cause I'm basing--

Segment Synopsis: Gigax discusses the founding of Audio Recording Studio in Cleveland, Ohio.

Keywords: Audio Recording Studio; Audio engineering; Cleveland (Ohio); Gigax, Bruce; Malakar, Vlad; Petito, Joe; Petito, Joseph; Russ, Alan; Salupo, Vic

Subjects: Cleveland (Ohio); Engineers; History of science and technology; Music; Sound recording industry; Sound recording industry--History; Sound recordings; Sound--Recording and reproducing; Sound--Recording and reproducing--History

Partial Transcript: Um, and Vlad's doing the engineering. Were there other engineers working or was he the only one?

Segment Synopsis: Gigax discusses the early technology at Audio Recording Studio.

Keywords: African Americans; Agency Recording Studios; Ampex Electric Company; Amplifiers, tube; Analog recording; Audio devices; Cleveland (Ohio); Cleveland Lumberjacks (Hockey team); Cleveland Recording Studio; Computers; Consoles (mixing); Consoles (recording); Consoles, Langeman; Drugs; Flickinger, Dan; Fox, Ted; Gigax, Bruce; Guitars; Independent recording studios; Microphones (models): AKG C12; Microphones (models): Neumann U48; Microphones (models): Neumann U49; Microphones, Neumann; Microphones, tube; Microphones,Telefunken Microphones (models): Neumann U47; Microprocessors; Motion Picture Sound; Multi-tracking; Pan pots; Prices; Recorders, tape (models): Ampex 350; Recorders, tape (models): Ampex 3-track recorders; Recorders, tape (models): Ampex 351; Recorders, tape (models): Ampex 800; Recording; Recording business; Recording console manufacturers; Recording studios; Recording tape; Rotary knobs; Schneider Recording Studio; Schneider, Hank; Sessions; Stage, George; Technology; Western Electric; Wolf, Fred

Subjects: African American; Ampex Corporation; Audio equipment industry; Cleveland (Ohio); Cleveland Lumberjacks (Hockey team); Drugs.; Guitar; History of science and technology; Microphone; Music; Neumann; Schneider, Hank.; Sound recording industry; Sound recording industry--History; Sound recordings; Sound--Recording and reproducing; Sound--Recording and reproducing--History; Western Electric Company.; Westrex (Firm); Wolf, Fred.

Partial Transcript: In terms of the sound, I mean, are there certain kinds of things that you record that you think are going to be much better as analog?

Segment Synopsis: Gigax discusses the differences between analog recording and digital recording.

Keywords: 3M Company; Analog recording; Analog-to-Digital converters; Apogee Electronics; Audio devices; Computers; Digital recording; Digital-to-analog converters; Microphone, solid state; Microphone, tube; Panasonic Corporation; Recording tape; Signals

Subjects: 3M Company; Audio equipment industry; Cleveland (Ohio); History of science and technology; Microphone; Music; Panasonic Industrial Corp.; Sound recording industry; Sound recording industry--History; Sound recordings; Sound--Recording and reproducing; Sound--Recording and reproducing--History

Partial Transcript: Yeah, that's, uh--it's interesting to think about and, I'd like to understand how this, you know--it seems that the, the popularity of rock music started fueling ever more technological development.

Segment Synopsis: Gigax discusses how the popularity of rock music fueled technological development in audio recording.

Keywords: Bee Gees (Artist); Biscayne Bay (Fla.); Black Sabbath (Artist); Chi. Pig (Artist); Chinn, Stephen Kendall (Artist); Contractors; Criteria Recording Studios; Detroit (Mich.); Economics; Fort Lauderdale (Fla.); Gibbs, Andy (Artist); Gibbs, Maurice (Artist); Gibbs, Robyn; Gigax, Bruce; Iglesias, Julio (Artist); Internal Revenue Service (IRS); Mack, Fleetwood (Artist); Miami (Fla.); Middle Lair; Money; Plunkett, Donald; Recording business; Recording studios; Rock 'n' roll; Rock bands; Sony Music Entertainment; Stage, George; Village Recorder, the

Subjects: Bee Gees.; Biscayne Bay (Fla.); Black Sabbath (Musical group); Cleveland (Ohio); Detroit (Mich.); Fleetwood, Mick.; Fort Lauderdale (Fla.); Gibbs, Andy; Gibbs, Robyn; History of science and technology; Music; Rock music.; Sony Music Entertainment, Inc.; Sound recording industry; Sound recording industry--History; Sound recordings; Sound studios.; Sound--Recording and reproducing; Sound--Recording and reproducing--History

Partial Transcript: But anyway.

Segment Synopsis: Gigax discusses how Cleveland's audio recording technology differed from major recording cities such as Los Angeles and New York.

Keywords: Arrangers; Audio Recording Studio; Audio devices; Beatles, the (Artist); Beatles: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Album); Cleveland (Ohio); Gigax, Bruce; Hamann, Kenneth Richard; Machines; Malakar, Vlad; Market; Money; Motors; Multi-tracking; Music Center Incorporated (MCI); New York (N.Y.); Paul, Les; Recorder, tape; Recorders (models); Recorders, tape (models): Ampex 350 full-track model; Recorders, tape (models): Ampex full-track model 400; Recorders, tape (models): MCI Twenty-four track recorder; Recording tape; Rock 'n' roll; Rosenberg, Arnold; Video transports; Who, the (Artist)

Subjects: Beatles.; Beatles. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.; Cleveland (Ohio); History of science and technology; Music; Paul, Les, 1943-; Paul, Les.; Sound recording industry; Sound recording industry--History; Sound recordings; Sound--Recording and reproducing; Sound--Recording and reproducing--History; Who (Musical group)

Partial Transcript: Something like this gets obsolete real fast.

Segment Synopsis: Gigax discusses the changes in technology in regard to samplers and emulators.

Keywords: Ameritech Corporation; Compact discs; Computer programming; Computers; Consoles (mixing); Electronics; Emulators; Films; Gigax, Bruce; Mixing; Multi-tracking; Records, kinds of: lacquer; Samplers; Sequencing; Sound effects; Sprocket holes; Sprockets; Star Trek: The Next Generation (Television program); Vocalists (singers)

Subjects: Cleveland (Ohio); History of science and technology; Music; Sound recording industry; Sound recording industry--History; Sound recordings; Sound--Recording and reproducing; Sound--Recording and reproducing--History

Partial Transcript: This, this is hard because, you know, it's so interesting to talk about the current technology.

Segment Synopsis: Gigax discusses audio recording technology in the 1970s.

Keywords: Amplifier, summing; Amplifiers; Audio Recording Studio; Audio devices; Cleveland (Ohio); Consoles (mixing); Consoles (models): Neve 8078; Consoles (models): SSL Live; Consoles (models): Sony MXP 3000; Consoles (recording); Distortion; Grand Funk Railroad (Artist); Hamann, Kenneth Richard; Multi-tracking; Neve Electronics; Sony Corporation

Subjects: Cleveland (Ohio); Grand Funk Railroad (Musical group); History of science and technology; Music; Sony Corporation; Sound recording industry; Sound recording industry--History; Sound recordings; Sound--Recording and reproducing; Sound--Recording and reproducing--History

Partial Transcript: When did you get that?

Segment Synopsis: Gigax discusses recording and mixing consoles.

Keywords: Amplifiers; Audio engineering; AudioTron; Bee Gees (Artist); Cables; Components; Computers; Consoles (mixing); Consoles (models): MCI; Consoles (recording); Copper; Criteria Recording Studio; Digital recording; Electrical engineering; Electronics; Florida; Fort Lauderdale (Fla.); Graithe, Tom Sony Corporation; Harned, Grover "Jeep"; Japan; MCI Consoles; Multi-tracking; Music Center Incorporated (MCI); Music players (models): Turtle Beach AudioTron AT-100; Music players (models): Turtle Beach AudioTron AT-101; Recorders; Recorders, analog; Recorders, digital; Recorders, multi-track; Recorders, tape; Rosenberg, Arnold; Signal path; Sony Corporation; Sony Music; Sony Pro Audio Manufacturing; Specifications; Wire

Subjects: Boca Raton (Fla.); Cleveland (Ohio); Electrical engineering; Florida; Fort Lauderdale (Fla.); History of science and technology; Japan; Music; Sony Corporation; Sound recording industry; Sound recording industry--History; Sound recordings; Sound--Recording and reproducing; Sound--Recording and reproducing--History

Partial Transcript: But you can still use a ta--an analog tape machine. Are you finding any, uh--

Segment Synopsis: Gigax discusses the problems inherent in continuing to record on analog tape recorders.

Keywords: 3M Company; Ampex Electric Company; Analog; Gigax, Bruce; Manufacturing; Recorders, tape; Recording tape

Subjects: Ampex Corporation; Cleveland (Ohio); History of science and technology; Music; Sound recording industry; Sound recording industry--History; Sound recordings; Sound--Recording and reproducing; Sound--Recording and reproducing--History

Partial Transcript: Anyway, I, I don't know if I really told you much. Is there anything--

Segment Synopsis: Gigax discusses the importance of both performance and recording in music, and discusses the changes in audio recording in the 1980s.

Keywords: Acoustics; Arrangers; Audio Recording; Audio Recording Studio; Cleveland Institute of Music; Cleveland Orchestra; Computers; Copyright; Dailey, Pat (Artist); Demonstrations; Demos; Devo (Artist); Drum machines; Drummers; Drums; Exotic Birds (Artist); Guitars; Live; Macaw (Artist); Managers; Music; Musicians; Percussion; Recording; Recording studios; Reznor, Trent (Artist); Royalties; Schwartz, Howard; Sequencers; Songs; Songwriters; Songwriting; Technology; Vocalists (singers); Whip It (Song)

Subjects: Cleveland (Ohio); Cleveland Institute of Music; Cleveland Orchestra.; Devo (Musical group); Guitar; Reznor, Trent; Sound recording industry; Sound recording industry--History; Sound recordings; Sound--Recording and reproducing; Sound--Recording and reproducing--History

Partial Transcript: But what I found was all the components were important.

Segment Synopsis: Gigax discusses the importance of choosing audio recording components carefully.

Keywords: Acoustic guitars; Acoustics; Amplifiers; Audio devices; Components; Consoles (mixing); Consoles (recording); Electric guitars; Gigax, Bruce; High frequencies; Low frequencies; Microphones; Microphones (models): AKG C 12; Microphones (models): B&K 4000 series; Microphones (models): Neumann C87; Microphones (models): Shure SM57; Microphones, omnidirectional; Microphones, tube; On-board amplifiers; Pianos; Pre-amplifiers; Radio broadcasting; Recorders, analog to digital; Reverberation; Sounds; Technology; Telarc International Corporation; Tones

Subjects: Audio equipment industry; Cleveland (Ohio); Guitars; History of science and technology; Microphones; Music; Neumann; Pianos.; Sound recording industry; Sound recording industry--History; Sound recordings; Sound--Recording and reproducing; Sound--Recording and reproducing--History

Partial Transcript: First thing is the microphone, the microphone quality.

Segment Synopsis: Gigax discusses microphone and speaker quality.

Keywords: Amplifiers; Audio devices; Microphones; Microphones (models): Neumann U87; Neumann Elektronik GmbH; Recorders, digital; Speakers,Genelec Speakers (models): JBL 4333; Vintages

Subjects: Audio equipment industry; Cleveland (Ohio); Microphone; Music; Neumann; Sound recording industry; Sound recording industry--History; Sound recordings; Sound--Recording and reproducing; Sound--Recording and reproducing--History

Partial Transcript: Someone I--somebody I talked to, I think it was Wayne Fontelle, that Telarc was the exclusive recording facility for the Cleveland Orchestra.

Segment Synopsis: Gigax discusses recording the Cleveland Orchestra.

Keywords: Audio engineers; Cleveland Orchestra; Decca Records; Decca Records UK; Deutsche Grammophon; Editing; Fontanelle, Wayne; Gigax, Bruce; Leonard, Jack; Little Warehouse; Live; London (England); Pianos; Radios; Record labels; Recording; Recording studios; Remote recording; Telarc International Corporation; Telworth, Brian

Subjects: Cleveland (Ohio); Cleveland Orchestra.; Decca Record Company.; Deutsche Grammophon (Firm); History of science and technology; London (England); Music; Piano; Sound recording industry; Sound recording industry--History; Sound recordings; Sound--Recording and reproducing; Sound--Recording and reproducing--History

Partial Transcript: I, I spoke to a number of pe--this is--

Segment Synopsis: Gigax discusses the difficulties inherent in researching the history of audio engineering and talks more about the history of sound recording in Cleveland, Ohio.

Keywords: Advertising; Ampex Electric Corporation; Announcers; Audio Recording Studio; Audio engineers; Cleveland (Ohio); Commercial Sound + Image; Commercial Sound and Image; Films; Gates, George; Gigax, Bruce; History; Jingles; King, Paul; Music producers; Polka music; Radio stations; Recorders, tape (models): Ampex 351; Recording; Recording studios; Slide films; Voiceovers; WHK (Radio station)

Subjects: Ampex Corporation; Audio equipment industry; Cleveland (Ohio); History of science and technology; Music; Polka music.; Sound recording industry; Sound recording industry--History; Sound recordings; Sound--Recording and reproducing; Sound--Recording and reproducing--History

Partial Transcript: The engineer as a creative entity, uh, yes and no.

Segment Synopsis: Gigax discusses the creative side of audio engineering.

Keywords: Audio engineering; Bass; Cleveland Orchestra; Conductors; Drummers; Gigax, Bruce; Guitar; Guitarists; Hinsel, Bruce; Iglesias, Julio (Artist); Money; Music producers; Music reading; Musicians; Radio stations; Sight reading; Volume

Subjects: Cleveland (Ohio); Cleveland Orchestra; Guitar.; History of science and technology; Iglesias, Julio, 1943-; Music; Percussion.; Sound recording industry; Sound recording industry--History; Sound recordings; Sound--Recording and reproducing; Sound--Recording and reproducing--History