[mark_in_manc]

(This won't contain much that the experts here don't know about, but George Martin's biography 'All you need is ears' contains a lot on early studio processes which folks new to the area might like - and it's a good read. For instance, I had not realised that post-war at Parlophone, cutting lathes for direct-to-disk recording were powered by gravity clockwork, because electric motors with sufficient speed stability (or large enough flywheels!) were not available - or perhaps required too heavy an investment.)