[Kafla]

Anyone else now subconsciously reviewing songs when they hear them on the radio or anywhere else?

Was listening to a Prince song today on the radio and the drum/rhythm track was awful

Heard Return to Sender on Radio yesterday and noticed that the drums were completely panned to the left - it sounded so weird

Is this a disease?

[Ramshackles]

Loads of songs back in the (earky) 60's had instruments panned 1 side and vocals other or something like that. Listen to original beatles stereo recordings, crazy! The stereo mix wasnt important then as everyone listened in mono, and the engineers didnt have much panning choices with their 2 or 3 track recorders!

I dont necessarily review songs, but I do often listen to my favourite stuff trying to isolate certain parts in my mind and work out what effects, how they sound etc. Espec. with acoustic guitar. Trying to work out..hmm is it in stereo or mono, is it panned, doubled, dpes ot have lots of low end or is it bright.
Anything to try and help me get better sounds really!

[Kafla]

Yeah I know what you mean

I have been listening to a lot of 60s music recently and this fascinates me - the way they mixed it.

In My Life is a great example - I listened to this a few weeks ago and apart from the little guitar riff at the start and between verses - its just a beat and vocals - hardly anything else. This really shocked me.

Made me think about the melody in particular , and that if it strong enough the song doesn't need much else.

[Shylock]

A lot of the mixing we hear now follows customs laid out in the 60s because that's what we are so used to hearing. Back in the old days engineers were hesitant to pan the bass as they weren't sure that speakers could handle the low frequencies (lower frequency = more power) and so this was put dead centre to share the load.

There's no musical reason to put the bass dead centre put we still do. I do like, however, that putting it centrally does anchor the track very well.

Drums do sound weird when panned, it wasn't until the mid 60s and early 70s that most desks had variable panning "pots" (control knobs). The engineer could only choose between left, right or middle.

It was simpler time.

I think, from memory, that Hey Jude has got some strange panning (kit on the right, piano on the left?) as well.

[nooms]

NERD WARNING

hi folks,
your mention of In mY life reminded me of a truly great book.
Revolution in the Head by Ian Macdonald ISBN 978 1 844 13828 9.
It features every recording session by the Fabs from My Bonnie to Free As A Bird . Not a coffee table glossy but an in depth guide to the beatle sessions. Perfect for Christmas.
Brilliantly written and won awards for the author.
Always fires me up when I cant get things moving or wondering why im bothering at all, just reading about Lennons attitude and strength when they recorded Twist and Shout.

 Theyd been recording for twelve hours, it was 10pm. Time was up but George Martin needed one more number, something to send the album out with a bang.
Bear in mind that that day, 11feb1963, theyd already recorded, Theres a Place, Saw Her Standing There, Taste of Honey, Do You Want To Know A Secret, Misery, Hold Me Tight, Anna, Boys, Chains, Baby Its You....!
So they all went to the canteen for tea except in Lennons case it was warm milk for his ragged throat. Twist and Shout was the closer of their live set, an Isley Brothers song and very demanding and this night it was going to be a tall order.
Back in studio 2 they knew they had at best maybe two chances to get it before Lennon lost his voice. At around 10.30, with him stripped to the waist and the others hyping themselves by treating the control room staff as their audience, they went for it.

The eruptive performance that ensured stunned the listening technicians and exhilarated the group as can be heard in mccartneys triumphant 'hey' at the end. Trying for a second take, Lennon found he had nothing left and the session stopped there and then but the atmosphere was still crackling. Nothing of this intensity had ever been recorded in a british pop studio. ....

Dont tell me youve read it and i neednt have spent the last hour typing it out...
I love the energy of Twist and Shout, amazing gutteral sound of those guitars is thrilling.

Nooms

[Dutchbeat]

Nooms, thanks for the "Nerd warning"

i appreciate that

but your post is spot on to me
that twist and shout recording is really something, isn't it?

it lifts me up all the time
and reading about it was great, thanks

[Kafla]

Nooms - I love this!

I am going to hint to the wife for this as a Christmas pressie!