The first part of this paper contains a complete description of tape studio equipment through a discussion of the 1960s Milan studio. The technology of each device is detailed with several musical examples. The second part examines the technologies, composition and pedagogy of five important studios in the 1960s:
- Groupe de Recherches Musicales (Paris) - Studio für elektronische Musik (Cologne) - Studio di Fonologia Musicale (Milan) - Colombia-Princeton Electronic Music Center (New York) - Studio voor Elektronische Muziek van de Rijksuniversiteit (Utrecht) Several photographs of studios and visual scores are presented in this part. The last part contains commentaries by composers: Luciano Berio, Tod Dockstader, Gottfried Michael Koenig, Mario Davidovsky, Karlheinz Stockhausen, J.K. Randall, Charles Wuorinen, Charles Dodge and Alvin Lucier.