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  • PBS
  • Nov 14, 2016
  • PBS
  • Nov 14, 2016
Soundbreaking

Summary The eight-part documentary series look into the history and growth of recording music with interviews with a variety of artists including Beck, Bon Iver, Brian Eno, Elton John, Quincy Jones, Daniel Lanois, Beatles producer George Martin (who also produced the series before his death in March), Paul McCartney, Joni Mitchell, Tom Petty, Q-...

  • PBS
  • Nov 14, 2016
  • PBS
  • Nov 14, 2016
Soundbreaking
Season 1
Season Premiere: Nov 14, 2016
Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 4 Critic Reviews
78
User Score Generally Favorable Based on 7 User Ratings
7.6
My Score
Hover and click to give a rating Saved

Summary The eight-part documentary series look into the history and growth of recording music with interviews with a variety of artists including Beck, Bon Iver, Brian Eno, Elton John, Quincy Jones, Daniel Lanois, Beatles producer George Martin (who also produced the series before his death in March), Paul McCartney, Joni Mitchell, Tom Petty, Q-...

Season Episodes

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Episode 1 • Nov 14, 2016 • 52 m
The Art of Recording
Looks at how the record producer realizes an artist's vision and captures it for posterity. Explores the styles of some of the biggest producers in the business including Sam Phillips, George Martin, Phil Spector, Dr. Dre, and Rick Rubin.
Episode 2 • Nov 15, 2016 • 53 m
Painting with Sound
Explores how the recording studio itself became an instrument. From the advent of magnetic tape, charts the evolution of multi-track recording and reveals how artists with ingenuity and imagination transformed the sound of popular music.
Episode 3 • Nov 16, 2016 • 53 m
The Human Instrument
The vocal track is one of the most fundamental parts of a song but it can be the most challenging to capture, both technically and to get the emotional quality of the music. This explores the art and science of recording the human voice.
Episode 4 • Nov 17, 2016 • 52 m
Going Electric
Tells the story of how electricity has been harnessed and channeled to create new and never-before-heard sounds, tracing both the chain reaction unleashed by the invention of the electric guitar and the evolution of synthesized music.
Episode 5 • Nov 18, 2016 • 52 m
Four on the Floor
If vocals are the heart of a song, the rhythm track, the beat, is its body; the element that hits a primal part of us and makes us move. This show looks at rhythm in music, breaks the beat down and examines the endless experimentation.
Episode 6 • Nov 21, 2016 • 52 m
The World Is Yours
This show looks at how the technique of sampling, using bits of recorded sound or borrowing fragments from existing records, created a new genre of music and sparked a musical revolution.
Episode 7 • Nov 22, 2016 • 52 m
Sound and Vision
Chronicles how the music industry was overhauled when MTV forged an inextricable link between recorded music and music videos. Tracks the music video from MTV to the Internet and illuminates the music video's role in popular music today.
Episode 8 • Nov 23, 2016 • 53 m
I Am My Music
Vinyl record, cassette tape, CD, and MP3; each generation has had its own type of music media. The format used for listening determines how and where we listen, as well as the manner in which we collect, store, and share the music we love.

Top Cast

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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 4 Critic Reviews
78
75% Positive
3 Reviews
25% Mixed
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 4 Critic Reviews
78
75% Positive
3 Reviews
25% Mixed
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
90
Nov 14, 2016
While Soundbreaking is not the kind of linear, molecular reconstruction of history that Ken Burns might have made--the series veers off on non-chronological detours and then bounces back--it's always riveting.
By Tim Goodman FULL REVIEW
83
Nov 14, 2016
A well-crafted, well-intentioned documentary series that excels when it offers rare concrete examples of the amorphous role producers play in the musical process, while also shining a spotlight on a who’s who of great producers.
By Verne Gay FULL REVIEW
80
Nov 17, 2016
Wonderfully anecdotal and bursting with classic music of many eras, this has a great beat and you can learn from it. [7 - 20 Nov 2016, p.13]
By Matt Roush FULL REVIEW
58
Nov 14, 2016
The series wavers, in tone, narrative style, and approach, unable to hold those high notes for very long.
FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

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User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 7 User Ratings
7.6
86% Positive
6 Ratings
0% Mixed
0 Ratings
14% Negative
1 Rating

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 7 User Ratings
7.6
86% Positive
6 Ratings
0% Mixed
0 Ratings
14% Negative
1 Rating

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

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