Abbey Road

If you’ve ever wondered where that unmistakable ’80s drum sound came from… 🥁 There’s a good chance you’ve heard the LinnDrum. You’ve heard it countless times before, in the high-energy intro of a-ha’s classic ‘Take On Me’, the massive driving backbone of ‘Shout’ by Tears for Fears, alongside heaps of synth-pop and R&B hits from the decade. Designed by Roger Linn and released in early 1982, the LinnDrum helped redefine the sound of the decade. Rather than synthesising its drum sounds, it used digital samples of real acoustic drums, giving producers a punchy, distinctive sound that became instantly recognisable, as demoed in this incredible rehearsal clip of Phil Collins circa 1986. And its influence didn’t stop in the ’80s. More recently, the LinnDrum has found its way into music by HAIM, Thundercat and John Legend. Where will it be heard next? That’s up to you 👀 https://lnkd.in/dPxcAFct

As AI continues to reshape visual culture, Abbey Road: Studio Four, Transmission Four: 'Artificial Intelligence & Emotional Intelligence' asks where emotional intelligence, human creativity and real-world connection fit into the picture. Featuring conversations with Rankin, Platon and Dennis Morris, the latest Transmission explores photography, music and the value of human-made culture in an increasingly synthetic world. Read the full blog: https://lnkd.in/estm5MA3

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Artificial Intelligence & Emotional Intelligence ⚛ ✨ This week Abbey Road: Studio Four Transmissions explores where technology meets human creativity, hearing from photographers, engineers, technologists and creatives on what AI could mean for art, authorship and emotional expression. From legendary photographers Rankin and Platon to mastering engineer Christian Wright, ElevenLabs tech and Abbey Road REDD, discover the different perspectives shaping the conversation. Read Transmission Four: https://lnkd.in/estm5MA3 

On this day in 1997, Antares released AutoTune ✨ Love it or hate it, AutoTune has become a familiar part of the studio toolkit, but its origins lie somewhere you might not expect… From oil exploration to one of the most recognisable sounds in modern music, here's the unlikely story of Auto-Tune ➡️ Did you know…Auto-Tune wasn’t invented by a music producer? It came from the mind of an engineer who had spent years working with seismic data in the oil industry. Meet Andy Hildebrand: Dr. Andy Hildebrand was an electrical engineer specialising in digital signal processing, developing technology to analyse seismic data for oil exploration. Around 1995, Hildebrand was at a trade show when a colleague’s wife jokingly suggested he invent something that could make her sing in tune. He initially dismissed the idea. Months later, he realised it was actually possible. In 1997, Auto-Tune was released. Hildebrand applied his expertise in digital signal processing to analysing vocal pitch. The aim wasn’t to transform a singer’s voice. AutoTune was designed to make subtle pitch corrections that listeners wouldn’t even notice. Enter Cher... In 1998, instead of gently correcting the vocal, producers working on ‘Believe’ used AutoTune with extreme settings. Notes snapped rapidly from one pitch to another, creating the unmistakable robotic sound that would become known as the ‘Cher effect’. That record helped turn pitch correction from a behind-the-scenes studio tool into a creative effect in its own right. Over the decades that followed, artists and producers pushed the technology far beyond its original purpose. Rather than simply hiding imperfect notes, Auto-Tune could make a voice behave more like a synthesiser, becoming one of the most recognisable production tools in contemporary music.

The studio goes where you go 🎹 As part of Abbey Road: Studio Four, we’ve been exploring the tech and ideas shaping the future of music-making, including Telepathic Instruments’ Orchid, the chord-generating synth conceived by Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker. Described by the team as an ‘ideas machine’, Orchid is designed to help songwriters and producers explore new ideas through its intuitive chord-generating interface, synth engines, patterns, patches and FX. Find out more about it and the ideas behind Transmission Three; click the link: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/e6k6uky4

Something a little more worldly from our new collection…it’s the Yamaha TH-10E Electric Taishogoto 🪉 The taishogoto was first developed in Japan in 1912, using a typewriter-like key mechanism to fret the strings while the player strums. In the ’80s, Yamaha took the traditional acoustic design and electrified it, creating this wonderfully strange little instrument ✨ Strummed, it produces a resonant, metallic drone somewhere between a sitar and a dulcimer. But things get particularly interesting when you start experimenting… Run it through fuzz, tape delay, reverb or even a modular setup, and its traditional character can quickly turn into something entirely new. Exactly the kind of instrument that rewards a bit of curiosity 👌 Wanna use it for yourself? Click here: https://lnkd.in/dPxcAFct 

Abbey Road: Studio Four’s Transmission Three 🎚️ examining the role of the modern studio and how technology is changing the way we make, experience and share music. Part of Transmission Three suggests some creative ways to achieve studio quality, whether that’s gear, engineering expertise or community - from anywhere. Our friends at Spitfire Audio, who joined us at this year’s Abbey Road: Studio Four, help us explore the subject. Read the blog for more, plus get 20% off our entire Abbey Road ONE range 👀 20% off Abbey Road ONE: ARS4T *Expiry: Code redeemable until 1 October 2026. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/egWGybNZ

30 years. Countless sessions. One extraordinary career ❤️ Three decades ago, Andrew Dudman walked through the doors of our home as a Tonmeister student, ready to learn. Today, he’s one of our leading recording engineers, with a career spanning film, video games, classical, pop, rock, jazz, electronic and everything in between. From Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter to Gravity, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy and KPop Demon Hunters, Andrew has helped bring some of cinema and gaming’s most recognisable worlds to life 🎬 He’s also worked with artists including Underworld, Elbow, Sigur Rós, Jamie Cullum, Royal Blood, Justice and most recently RAYE, across an extraordinary range of music 🎶 But perhaps the most lasting part of Andrew’s 30 years at Abbey Road is what he’s passed on... The knowledge shared with him when he first arrived. The craft he’s spent a lifetime refining. And now, the knowledge he shares with the next generation of engineers. Congratulations, Andrew. Here’s to everything you’ve brought to Abbey Road, and everything still to come ❤️ Find out more: https://lnkd.in/eUQ5jmTq 

We are so thrilled to introduce this year’s Abbey Road Music Photography Awards finalists! Across our eight open categories, from live festival energy to portraiture, unseen backstage perspectives and the raw edge of underground scenes, each category celebrates a different side of the music world. With a record 24,500 images submitted this year, narrowing it down to five finalists per category was no easy feat. Thank you for participating in this year’s submissions and please join us in celebrating this year’s finalists. The Portrait finalists are: Manuel Vazquez - Warren Ellis  Wanda Martin - Billy Idol  Frances Carter - Billie Marten  Daniel Rojas - Ho99o9  Jamie-Lee Culver - AYNJEL The Behind The Scenes finalists are: Lewis Evans - Geese  Sophie Buckley - Black Honey  Olly Bromidge - Matt Molotov  Gabrielle Ravet - My Chemical Romance Fans  Caity Krone - Kevin Parker Introducing the Live Music finalists: Rhys Bennet - Battlesnake  Tom Pallant - YUNGBLUD  Rico Suhr - Dr.VENUS  Charlie Barclay Harris - Fontaines DC  Lewis Evans - Oasis The Underground Scenes finalists are: James Streiker - Rosanna Geoffrey Nicholson - Spunk  Andrea Gonar - Ruido En Casa Suzanne Phoenix - PRIVATE FUNCTION  AF Cortes - the audience at Kartel Show Introducing the Music Moment of the Year finalists: Jack Oliver - Charli XCX  Harriet T K Bols - Oasis  Jenn Devereaux - Kendrick Lamar Jessie Morgan - Lambrini Girls  Joshua Halling - Oasis Audience The Emerging Photographer of the Year finalists are: Natalia Peralta - Nicolás y los Fumadores Isaac Wheatley - Mikeal Dara Petrova - Techno Rave Laboratorium Frances Carter - Gin Wigmore  Bryce Glenn - Sombr Introducing the Festivals finalists: Danny North - Humans Of Download Festival  Ian Zandi - The Killing Floors Guilia Spadafora - Glastonbury Festival Audience Jake Zaoutis - Hey, Nothing  Viktória Erdös - Palaye Royale The 50 Years of Punk finalists are:  Joe Hughes - Sonic Youth  Gerard McNamara - Bauhaus, Peter Murphy  Wayne Large - Members of Various Punk Bands Jamie Wdziekonski - Amyl and the Sniffers Keith Marlowe - The Black Halos Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eVAtNHET