Studio Innovations That Changed Albums

Multitrack recording grew from 2 tracks to 4, 8 and 16 through the 1960s, and Sgt. Pepper was made by bouncing tracks on 4 track machines.

Abbey Road studios then hosted Dark Side of the Moon on 16 tracks with tape loops and early synths. Sly Stone brought drum machines into funk on Theres a Riot Goin On, and The Chronic built grooves from sampled records.

Digital audio workstations in the 2000s moved the studio into laptops, making album production possible in bedrooms..