A recording technique where additional sounds are recorded over an existing recording, typically while listening to the original track through headphones. This allows musicians to add layers, harmonies, or corrections to previously recorded material.
From 'over' meaning on top of and 'dub' from 'double,' originally referring to duplicating recordings. The technique developed alongside multitrack recording in the 1950s, becoming standard practice in popular music production.
Overdubbing gave birth to the 'wall of sound'—Phil Spector's technique of layering dozens of overdubs created those massive, orchestral pop recordings of the 1960s that still sound enormous today! It proved that studio recordings could be art forms completely separate from live performance.
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