Ping Ponging is a standard term used in the process of
recording an
album.
The standard analog
home recording system takes a blanks
cassette tape, and breaks it into 4
tracks. This typically means that only four
musical instruments can be recorded on a single song, so one has to choose the
music carefully.
When one
Ping pongs more tracks can be recorded. on a standard 4-Track up to
Ten individual
instruments can be playing
at the same time.
The process that allows this to happen is rather interesting. Using a
4-Track recorder one may pre-record the first three tracks. Then, after proper
mixing of sound levels, the first three pre-recorded tracks can be
recorded down to the fourth track while the fourth instrument is played live. To
maximize the space of the
4-track and get all
ten instruments, you can do as follows:
Track one= 1 instrument
Track two= 2 instruments
Track three= 3 instruments
Track four= 4 instruments
The
quality of the pre-recorded tracks may be slightly diminished during the process. Unless you want to pan all the tracks to
center, decide beforehand which tracks should be to the
left or to the
right
The
Beatles used this process
extensively during the recording of their song
I Am the Walrus