Pink Floyd recorded real clocks for 'Time'.

Yes, the ticking intro on Time is exactly what it sounds like: actual clocks and alarms recorded one by one, then panned across the stereo field.

No live performance was being recreated. The band went to an antiques shop, collected a bunch of different ticking clocks, bells, and alarms, and recorded each one separately. In the mix, they panned each sound so the ticks literally move around your head.

That’s the whole trick. No synthesizers, no overdubbed live recording. Just