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anonymous 15 April 2002

Hi,

I've been searching the net relentlessly for the past few months looking for any information relating to the recording of DSotM. The info I've found is sparse and not very helpful. Basically I've learned the console used, instruments used, and in which rooms of Abbey Road tracks were recorded.

Does anyone know for instance, what mics and outboard gear was used? Any does anyone know exactly how they achieve that Gilmour "sound" on his vocal tracks. His vocal tracks always have that "something" to them that make them instantly recognizable. And I'm not speaking of his vocal ability but the processing that gives it that "sheen."

Maybe I'm just insane...

Thanks,
Fen

Comments

Guest Mon, 04/15/2002 - 18:04

here is what Stedel said

stedel
RO Moderator
posted April 13, 2002 03:00 AM                   
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hey folks. I've been checking out the websites of Chandler and Mercury.
These are some seriously cool looking pieces of gear.
The Mercury 66 Limiting Amplifier - great specs, great response rate.Very tasty. And VU meters.
I love VU meters.Definately like to test drive.
The M72 - now I would love to hear this.
The M76 - don't know enough about the history of Telfunken's 76 stuff.....yet.
And Chandler
The EMI Compressor & an EMI "Beatles mic pre"?
Are you kidding?
I want all of these things!!!!!Telefunken, EMI & Neve. Sod RO. I'm taking donations NOW!!!!!!!!!

anonymous Tue, 04/16/2002 - 05:43

Umm...I stored some useless trivia on this one, which might be true :

Don't know about the desk..it was recorded on 16 track - the whole 16 track master underwent a transfer from a non dolby machine to one using dolby A at some point.

The cool rototom sections (in the song with the cool rototom sections) were dropped in individually as each section had to be retuned for each chord change

The kit was mic'd with 4038's for overheads, and Neumanns on everything else, with no compression.

Main EQ was the EMI "curve bender"

Guitar echo - Binson Echorec

And I wonder why some of my friends think I'm a trainspotter..

anonymous Tue, 04/16/2002 - 07:40

Thank you for all the replies people! :w:

I got a quote from vintage king audio on the chandler emi tg preamp - $1499. The limiter would cost me my left kidney... so I'm currently making calculations to see if I can survive without it;)
So it sounds like Neumannns were used on vocals...My guess goes towards a U67.

Thanks
Fen

Ted Nightshade Tue, 04/16/2002 - 08:30

Of course the UniVibe used for the swirly guitar parts- and maybe the backup vox? What are they through that's so swirly?
"The cool rototom sections (in the song with the cool rototom sections) were dropped in individually as each section had to be retuned for each chord change"
No wonder I've never heard any rototoms to get anything like this sound!
Ted

RecorderMan Wed, 04/17/2002 - 08:34

Originally posted by Fenster:
the swirly backing vocals on "Time" were processed through an early pitch-changing device called a Frequency Translator.

Hmmm....I've been a d-e-e-p fan of this record since it was released. My absolute single most favorite record of all time. I haven't cared too much about how it was recorded, because the recording itself, per say, in my opinoin is very standard for what you would expect out of EMI at the time.
For me it truly is the song/lyrics, arrangement performance aspects of it that are timeless.
The music concrete aspects. The early techno on "on the run", the quasi-Reggae of "Money" (around the time that all the Brit Rock star were really getting into Reggae. That same year I believe, Zeppelin wrote/recorded "D'yer Maker"(HouseOfThe Holy), Elton John "JamacinJerkoff (GoodByeYellowBrickRoad),
and Eric Claptosn cover of Marely's "I Shot The Sherriff).

I always assumed that The "swirly" vocals (BGV's ) as you call them were created simply by running them through a Leslie. That's what they sound like. You can hear the speeds (fast and slow) and the ramping between them. Very apprappo for the time...although I could have been unkowingly mistaken all these years.

Dave McNair Wed, 04/17/2002 - 14:48

Fenster, I recorded several records on that very Neve/EMI console. It was in a studio in LA until 5 or 6 years ago, not sure what happened to it. The pre's were 1084's if I remember, and the monitor wing had 2074's(line only 1074's) Possibly the best sounding Neve I've ever used. There is more info on that console at the phoenix audio web page. I'm not entirely sure that that console was in Abbey Road when DSOTM was recorded.

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