Ping-pong recording (also called ping-ponging, bouncing tracks, or reduction mixing) is a method of

sound recording Sound recording and reproduction is the electrical, Mechanical system, mechanical, electronic, or digital inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of ...

. It involves combining multiple track stems into one, allowing more room for

overdubbing Overdubbing (also known as layering) is a technique used in audio recording in which audio Music track, tracks that have been pre-recorded are then played back and monitored, while simultaneously recording new, doubled, or augmented tracks onto o ...

when using

tape recorder An audio tape recorder, also known as a tape deck, tape player or tape machine or simply a tape recorder, is a sound recording and reproduction device that records and plays back sounds usually using magnetic tape for storage. In its present ...

s with a limited set of tracks. It is also used to simplify mixdowns. The two most common methods consist of * Dubbing tracks between two tape recorders (or tracks on a multitrack recorder) connected through a

mixing console A mixing console or mixing desk is an electronic device for Audio mixing (recorded music), mixing audio signals, used in sound recording and reproduction and sound reinforcement systems. Inputs to the console include microphones, signals fro ...

* Dubbing tracks internally, through the onboard mixer of many machines, including

Portastudio Portastudio refers to a series of Multitrack recording, multitrack recorders produced by TASCAM beginning in 1979 with the introduction of the TEAC Corporation, TEAC 144, the first four-track compact cassette-based recorder. A TASCAM trademark, "p ...

s and similar multitrackers. In both cases, a new instrument, voice, or other material may be added with each bounce, depending on the setup's mixing capabilities. In

analog recording Analog recording is a category of techniques used for the recording of analog signals. This enables later playback of the recorded analog audio. Analog audio recording began with mechanical systems such as the phonautograph and phonograph. La ...

, the audio quality normally decreases with each generation, while in

digital recording In digital recording, an audio signal, audio or video signal is converted into a stream of discrete numbers representing the changes over time in air pressure for audio, or Color, chroma and luminance values for video. This number stream is s ...

, the quality is usually preserved. In either case, the most leeway comes with having the best possible source material.

Early examples

The method was employed by

Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by thei ...

co-founder

Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (June 20, 1942 – June 11, 2025) was an American musician, songwriter, singer and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often Brian Wilson is a genius, called a genius for his novel approaches to pop compositio ...

during the 1960s. For the recording of ''

Pet Sounds ''Pet Sounds'' is the eleventh studio album by the American Rock music, rock band the Beach Boys, released on May 16, 1966, by Capitol Records. It was produced, arranged, and primarily composed by Brian Wilson with guest lyricist Tony Asher. R ...

'' (1966), Wilson created the instrumentals of songs using a 4-track recorder. He then bounced the material onto one track of an 8-track recorder, using the remaining tracks for vocal overdubs. This meant that the album could not be suitably mixed in stereo, because the instrumental parts were locked in

monaural Monaural sound or monophonic sound (often shortened to mono) is sound intended to be heard as if it were emanating from one position. This contrasts with stereophonic sound or ''stereo'', which uses two separate audio channels to reproduce so ...

. In 1997, advances in recording technology allowed engineer

Mark Linett Mark Linett is an American record producer and audio engineer who is best known for his remixing and remastering of the Beach Boys' catalog. Since 1988, he has been the engineer for Brian Wilson's recordings. He has also worked with Red Hot C ...

to resync the original first-generation instrumental stems with the second-generation overdubbed vocals for the compilation ''

The Pet Sounds Sessions ''The Pet Sounds Sessions'' is a 4- CD box set by the American rock band the Beach Boys. Released on November 4, 1997, by Capitol Records, it compiles tracks from the group's 11th studio album ''Pet Sounds'' (1966) and its 1965–66 recording ses ...

'' and create a true stereo mix of the album.

Other terms

Ping pong is also a term of derision, in particular applied to early commercial stereo recordings of the late 1950s to mid-1960s which do not have a convincing stereo image or sound-stage. Such recordings were often made in two-track form for mixing in mono, but released as authentic stereo recordings.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ping Pong Recording Technique Audio engineering History of sound recording