Interview with Don White, January 23, 1996
Project: Chasing Sound Oral History Project
Interview Summary
This is an interview with Cleveland, Ohio recording engineer Don White. White talks about the process of editing analog recordings by physically splicing tape with razor blades compared to the digital editing technology that is currently available. White discusses his role as an engineer, interpreting the needs of the musicians and giving them the sound they were looking for. He talks about how he saw the role of the producer, and why the relationship between producers and engineers did not work well if the producer was too involved. He gives examples of good and bad producers he worked with throughout his career. White talks about some of the people he knew in the recording industry who became involved with drugs.White describes in detail how rock and roll as a genre changed the recording industry. He talks about the musicians' desire for their music to be loud, and the demands that put on the recording equipment. He talks about the development of new equipment to accommodate the way rock and roll was recorded. He talks about how the cost of equipment has changed over time, and the competition between equipment manufacturers. White talks about the development of digital recording and mixing technology on computers, and discusses how it differs from analog technology.
Interview Accession
Interviewee Name
Interviewer Name
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Interview LC Subject
Sound--Recording and reproducing Sound--Recording and reproducing--History Sound recording industry Sound recording industry--History Sound studios. Sound engineers Acoustical engineering. Sound--Recording and reproducing--Equipment and supplies. Technological innovations Cleveland (Ohio)Interview Rights
All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.Interview Usage
Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.Restriction
Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.
All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.
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White, Don Interview by Susan Schmidt Horning. 23 Jan. 1996. Lexington, KY: Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.
White, D. (1996, January 23). Interview by S. S. Horning. Chasing Sound Oral History Project. Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries, Lexington.
White, Don, interview by Susan Schmidt Horning. January 23, 1996, Chasing Sound Oral History Project, Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.
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