Well, took the $100 plunge. I hope this book helps!

Bluesgeetar · Post by **Bluesgeetar** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 7:36 pm

I hope this book helps me get a better understanding of how to make those sweet musical recordings of the 60s that are none existent these days. "Recording the Beatles" Damn they had the best most musical recording tone I've ever heard. The sound is so lively and organic and unbelievable musical. $100 clams! Bought this sucker today.

http://curvebender.com/index.asp

Previews area available here:
http://www.recordingthebeatles.com/

JD · Post by JD » Mon Mar 12, 2007 7:43 pm

Sounds cool, would like to hear your opinion after you have a read.

I caught on PBS awhile back Paul McCartney doing some live impromptu show in support of his album "Chaos and Creation in the Backyard" where he went back to the Abbey Road studio in front of a live audience and did some demos of how he recorded with the original tape machine, etc. Really cool.

Bluesgeetar · Post by **Bluesgeetar** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 7:56 pm

The impression I got over on the UAD forums and from talking to a couple of guys over there is that that after reading the book they sat back and wondered why they wasted so much money of tons of plugins and equipment when all they had to do was just learn how to properly use a few good plugins and outboard gear and the order in which to put them and be done with it.

BashCoder · Post by **BashCoder** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 8:05 pm

It's a great book - a must-have for any vintage recording gear freak!

Bluesgeetar · Post by **Bluesgeetar** » Tue Mar 20, 2007 6:07 pm

Well got it today and gave it a quick run through. All I can say is wow! For sure gonna help alot of newby musicians get some ideas and learn how to mix and record like the greatest sounding band ever to live. This is really gonna help with my recording skills. Very very impressed. Well worth $110 bucks. Massive book! 10.5 pounds. Big sucker. SO the SM57 is the industry standard. Not for the Beatles! U67 and U87 all the way for Guitar amps.

Myopic Void · Post by **Myopic Void** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 1:38 pm

SO the SM57 is the industry standard. Not for the Beatles! U67 and U87 all the way for Guitar amps.

+1000 there brother! This book sounds like a must have!

It's all very simple, look at the pictures of 60's recording sessions of live concert footage from 65-72. Do you see 57's? NO...you may see it's percursor the 545 (live) but often a Neumann U87 (not the post 1986 models which are made different than 1967-1985 era) or U67 or a Ribbon are the order of the day in many cases live or studio. I use a combination of a 1970 Neumann U87, 60's 545's, Royer 121. I feel a 57 alone is limiting sometimes but they have their place.

To digress further.....Another common misunderstanding you see is that the Beatles did their recording on a regular 4trk. This is true up to point. The four tracks they used were J-37 Studer 1" four tracks which was not a common track width even then. HUGE!!!! The 60's standard was 1/2' 3trk, 4trk or 1" 8 trk (as used on Zep 1, Sabbath first LP or Live at Leeds). George Martin would lock up two J-37 Studer 1" 4trks giving them a total of 6 tracks. Look at old pictures of the studio with them. Often those are 1" 4trk's you see. That is freaking wide!!! Imagine a 16trk in that width. That would have been a 4" 16trk!!!!. Great Scott!! There was a 3" 32 trk made by Stephens in the 70's but I think it never really sold. In the 90's I think Studer offered a retro-fit 2" 8trk headstack for some 16trk and 24trk Studer decks.

In 60's-70's America we settled on the 1/2" 4trk 1" 8trk 2" 16trk (the first 2" 16trk was a Ampex MM1000 and installed in Electric Ladyland in 1968 ) 2" 24trk formats. These are also super fat!!! I use a 70's Ampex 440C 1" 8trk, 1/2 4trk and 1/4" 2trk.

I always felt like the 2" 24 was a drop from the 2" 16 tracks quality. The first 2" 24" arrived in 72 I believe. Stuff got really crappy in the 80's with Fostex, Tascam and Otari making 1/4" 8trk 1" 16 or 1" 24 tracks and even 1/2" 16trk. You may as well used a cassett deck! IMO we have been going backwards sonically since the early 80's.

Cheers,

Eric

NitroLiq · Post by **NitroLiq** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 3:19 pm

I've worked with artists who still track drums and bass to a 2" 16-track machine before bringing it into the digital domain. That stuff is great but servicing can be super expensive....going the way of the vacuum tube, IMO.

Regarding mics, in a perfect world we'd all have a closet of of Neuman, AKG, telefunken, etc. but unless you have access to larger commercial studios (or a lot of money for a serious mic collection) you have to look at what else is out there to keep within your budget. 57s aren't bad and they've been a standard for a reason. Part of the fun of the 60s and 70s as far as recording goes is the time artists and engineers had for experimentation. With studio costs being so exorbitant these days, the artist basically has to get in and get out.

I went to Full Sail in Winter Park back in '92 when they were just a recording/video school only and man, talk about being spoiled. Same when I came up to NYC to work in studios. Nothing like having an arsenal of U87s to use as tom mics or 414s. We used to experiment alot in the downtime....triple miking guitar cabs....making tape loops the old way where you splice the 2" tape and have it loop around a mic stand (Thank you Alan Parsons!). I think one of the best stories with regards to the Beatles recording is Geoff Emerick putting a U-47 (or other expensive mic) in a condom and putting it in a tank of water when the studio manager walked in (they hid it of course). I forget what song it was for...yellow submarine, maybe. His book would be an interesting read.

Anyway, I wouldn't get hung about the gear. Mic Placement...the whole "distance makes depth" idea that Page always talked about is more important as is proper gain staging.

Bluesgeetar · Post by **Bluesgeetar** » Fri Mar 23, 2007 2:57 pm

Hey Eric. Here is a pic of my baby. It does 15ips too just like the Studer

Bluesgeetar · Post by **Bluesgeetar** » Fri Mar 23, 2007 6:17 pm

The unit ain't small. THose are 10.5 inch reels in those pics.

Myopic Void · Post by **Myopic Void** » Fri Mar 23, 2007 6:21 pm

Hey Eric. Here is a pic of my baby. It does 15ips too just like the Studer

It looks superb Chris. VERY Nice VU's!!

Here is my 1" 8trk Ampex 440C she will do 15-30ips.

Eric

Flames1950 · Post by **Flames1950** » Fri Mar 23, 2007 6:22 pm

I thought sticking a Neumann U67/U87 or good ribbon mic in front of a ripping Marshall was a recipe for disaster -- can they handle that kind of SPL??

Myopic Void · Post by **Myopic Void** » Fri Mar 23, 2007 6:47 pm

Chris here is a shot of my 1/2" 4trk 15-30ips..

Necrovore · Post by **Necrovore** » Fri Mar 23, 2007 6:50 pm

Flames1950 wrote:I thought sticking a Neumann U67/U87 or good ribbon mic in front of a ripping Marshall was a recipe for disaster -- can they handle that kind of SPL??

Slayer uses U87's to record their guitars. They close mike them and throw blankets over the cabinets, so I guess the mike can handle the spl's.

Bluesgeetar · Post by **Bluesgeetar** » Fri Mar 23, 2007 6:55 pm

Hey Eric, that is one sweet looking machine bro!

Myopic Void · Post by **Myopic Void** » Fri Mar 23, 2007 8:08 pm

Hey Eric, that is one sweet looking machine bro!

Thanks man. Looking forward to hearing some of your recordings on your tape deck. I bet it will produce some hot damn goodness! BTW ATR services should be shipping tape soon. I just bought a case of 1/4" for a decent price.

Cheers,

Eric

Metropoulos Forum

Well, took the $100 plunge. I hope this book helps!

Well, took the $100 plunge. I hope this book helps!

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