musique concrete

Although early similar experiments into sound were begun as far back as the late 1920s, musique concrete was popularized by Pierre Schaffer, who began his work in 1948. Musique concrete is music that is made out of the manipulation of pre-recorded sounds: anything from pans banging to standard musical instruments.

Mike Patton

Lead vocalist for the bands Faith No More and Mr. Bungle, Patton is known for the versatility of his voice and the wide range of vocal styles he can use.

beat-boxing

Popularized in the early 1980s by the emergence of the rap scene, beat-boxing is the use of popping and clicking sounds created by the tongue and lips for percussion. The most well- known beat-box sound is created by pressing the lips together and blowing air through them.

multi-track recording

Most professional musicians record using multi-track recorders. Multi-track recording allows the musician to record one part of a song, say the drum beat, and then go back and record other parts without having to record what's been done before. stAllio!'s barbershop music so far has been recorded on a 4-track tape recorder. This type of recording allows the use of techniques such as ping-ponging and the manipulation of tape speed and tape direction.

ping-ponging

Ping-ponging is a method of fitting additional tracks on a multi-track recording. On a 4-track recorder, a musician can record three tracks, then record all three of them together onto the fourth, deleting the original three afterward. Now track contains three "ping-ponged" tracks, allowing a total of six tracks all together. Although ping-ponging can be repeated indefinitely, sound fidelity deteriorates if it is done too much.

tape speed

The speed at which audio tape is played back can be changed, altering the frequency of the sounds being played. Since frequency determines pitch, if tape is played back faster than it was recorded, the pitch of the sounds goes up. Similarly, if the tape is played slower, the pitch goes down.

tape direction

Pre-recorded sounds can be played in reverse. The effect is sometimes subtle, sometimes striking. Since the order of the sound is reversed, if a sound starts loud then slowly becomes more quiet, the reversed sound will start quiet and build in volume until it stops suddenly.