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Topic: "Nashville Sound" Recording Techniques |
Guido Hausmann
From:
Gütersloh, NRW Germany
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Posted 17 Feb 2009 4:37 am |
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is anyone familar with the "nashville sound" recording techniques??
especially with the recording production techniques and the use of reverb on the different tracks!
what kind of reverb was used and how was ist used?
cheers
guido
_________________
Sho~Bud Pro II, Sho~Bud LDG, Fender '79 Vibrosonic 1x15 JBL, Fender '72 Bandmaster Reverb + Custom 2x12 Vintage Alnico Cab, Fender 75 1x15", Randall Steel Man 500, Peavey Session 500, Goodrich L120, Sho~Bud Pedal
www.facebook.com/guido.luckylola |
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robert kramer
From:
Nashville TN
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Posted 17 Feb 2009 7:42 pm
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I can answer the question as to what kind if reverbs were used at RCA Studio B during the Nashville Sound era. The first echo chamber was created by setting up a speaker and a microphone in a small room above the studio. Audio was sent to the speaker and the sound was picked up by the microphone placed on the other side of the room. Echo was generated in the space between the speaker and the mic. The connection wires came down through the ceiling into the control room. Access to the room was by an iron ladder on the side of the building. The ladder and door hatch are still visible today on the south side of the building. I was part of the 1994 research crew that climbed the ladder, opened the door and entered the room for the first time since probably the early '70's. The mic was gone but the speaker and the mic stand and mic cable were still there. The room was rounded out with plaster and painted yellow. I have photos of the chamber which I will try to post if I can find them!
A couple years later, RCA acquired two German EMT plates and the original echo chamber (think early Elvis RCA) was abandoned.
The Country Music Hall of Fame provides tours of Studio "B" where all of this is and much, much more is explained in detail. It is an experience to stand in the main studio and hear, first hand, the sound of this room we have heard all our lives. |
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Tony Prior
From:
Charlotte NC
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Posted 18 Feb 2009 2:06 am
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I suspect Robert is correct, but here in 2009, all of that was replaced by a VST plug-in for $149 to go along with Pro-tools, Sonar, etc.
Recording techniques are the brainchild of producers and engineers, often times suggestions will come from the players as well. I don't think it's possible to write all this stuff down as much of it happens on the fly, a spark of the moment.
I suspect the Nashville sound you are referring to is more of the simplistic spot on arrangements with Guitars, Steel guitars , twangy voices and Rhinestone Suits ! My definition of Nashville Sound is not the recordings but rather the simplicity of arrangements with Instruments weaving in and out and not stepping on voices or other Instruments. The brilliance of simplicity and talent merged together.
One of the greatest tools we have is to listen with our ears, if there are certain sounds that you really like on record, study the track, listen to it, break apart the instruments. Many times you can hear different elements just by studying the overall sound.
I have read many articles regarding mastering where it is just said, listen to something you really like and try to duplicate it, it is a reference.
there are so many different variations of reverb's etc, it is best to just spend time with one instrument, listening back to multiple variations,play with the settings, you will run across one or two that stand out or perhaps sound very familiar. One thing that is also a good learning tool is to look at the preset reverb settings either on your workstation or PC software, these have been written by pro's, they were not guesses. This is the same for Eq's and dynamics effects. Many of the workstations and software now also offer mastering tools , take a look at them and study what they are doing to the overall track. Run the track through the various options, you will hear the differences, subtle, but this is a great way to learn as well.
There is no magic bullet, if there was, we would all be on the A list as producers or engineers !
Also , when in Nville, go visit Bob at the CM Hall of Fame, it's awesome !
Hi Bob, we may come to town soon, I'll call you maybe we can say hey.
t |
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Guido Hausmann
From:
Gütersloh, NRW Germany
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Posted 18 Feb 2009 10:23 am
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...emt 140 was one the infos i was searching for! and for sure the replacement with vst plug in!
so i will nw use my ears and try out some things with the plate reverbs in the mix!
very interesting story about the rca studios!! but a bit too far away for me to visit!
thanks!!
cheers
guido
_________________
Sho~Bud Pro II, Sho~Bud LDG, Fender '79 Vibrosonic 1x15 JBL, Fender '72 Bandmaster Reverb + Custom 2x12 Vintage Alnico Cab, Fender 75 1x15", Randall Steel Man 500, Peavey Session 500, Goodrich L120, Sho~Bud Pedal
www.facebook.com/guido.luckylola |
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robert kramer
From:
Nashville TN
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Posted 18 Feb 2009 8:32 pm
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Guido, If you google "Bill Porter Sound Engineer" you will find a lot useful info on the Nashville Sound. RCA Studio "B" opened in 1957 using an echo chamber. By 1959, RCA had acquired two German EMT plates. RCA engineer Bill Porter put the chamber in the left channel and the plates in the center and right channel. Through constant experimenting, Porter discovered he could get a better echo sound if he pushed the tubes in the console to the point of distortion. He would feed that signal to the plate and then bring it back and mix a small amount of the echoed signal into the track.
On the Orbison sessions, Porter put the plate in a corner of the studio and covered with pillow and cushions. Buddy Harmon's drums would vibrate and set off the plate and this contributed to the full sound on these records.
In the '50's, RCA had a strict rule that the limiters would stay set to one setting no matter what the music. Porter was one of the first engineers to adjust the limiters according to the dynamics of the music.
RCA "B" Echo chamber 1994:
2/18/09:
EMT Reverb Plate 2/18/09:
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John Macy
From:
Rockport TX/Denver CO
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Posted 19 Feb 2009 7:20 am
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VST plate plugins sound pretty good, till you get to use a real EMT, then they all pale...
We have a tube EMT 140 being installed in the next 30 days and it makes me very happy... 
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John Macy
Rockport, TX
Engineer/Producer/Steel Guitar |
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robert kramer
From:
Nashville TN
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Posted 19 Feb 2009 7:52 pm
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| Two more tips from Bill Porter. He would tighten the springs on the EMT plates as tight as possible (sometimes a few would break) He also tried to keep the plates in a cold room or under an air conditioner vent. According to Porter, this made the echo "sparkle." |
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Guido Hausmann
From:
Gütersloh, NRW Germany
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Posted 20 Feb 2009 12:36 am
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john, i would love to install 2 nice emts in my studio, but i even have no studio, yet! 
i will work on a little production by myself in studio the next days and so these tips are very useful for me! cause i just love the sound of the old records i was growing up with!
by the way, 2 vintage emts will cost about 4000€ in germany...! way too much!
_________________
Sho~Bud Pro II, Sho~Bud LDG, Fender '79 Vibrosonic 1x15 JBL, Fender '72 Bandmaster Reverb + Custom 2x12 Vintage Alnico Cab, Fender 75 1x15", Randall Steel Man 500, Peavey Session 500, Goodrich L120, Sho~Bud Pedal
www.facebook.com/guido.luckylola |
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John Macy
From:
Rockport TX/Denver CO
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Posted 20 Feb 2009 6:17 am
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Hey Robert,
My first studio in Colorado was at about 7500 feet elevation, and we had a space under the control room that was open,and that was where our plate resided. The colder it got in the winter, the better it sounded as the plate shrunk from the cold. We had to torque it up in the summer...
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John Macy
Rockport, TX
Engineer/Producer/Steel Guitar |
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robert kramer
From:
Nashville TN
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Posted 20 Feb 2009 10:10 am
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| Back in the pre-digital era of the Nashville Sound, echo chambers and plate reverbs were new technology. A lot of those records still sound great today - easy on the ear. To this day audio engineers, like Guido, still study and learn from these records (and especially the Beatles records which also used chambers and plates) Anyone, in this digital day and age, who would go to the trouble and expense to install an EMT plate in their studio is clearly someone who refuses to compromise their sound. |
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Guido Hausmann
From:
Gütersloh, NRW Germany
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Posted 20 Feb 2009 11:32 am
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the simple fact is, in my opinion: in this digital age we can do nearly everything!
but i think at the time engineers "only" had these delay chambers and this plate reverb, they made much more with less!
nowadays you hear crystal clear high tech ultra productions everywhere and it has become non-soul-bullshit!
and i miss the liveliness on recordings like the early cash, jennings and reeves recordings i loved since i was a teenage rebel! 
so, of course i try to learn from these and its my reference for my own little "productions" when i record!
i'm just a little beginner learning from the great!
_________________
Sho~Bud Pro II, Sho~Bud LDG, Fender '79 Vibrosonic 1x15 JBL, Fender '72 Bandmaster Reverb + Custom 2x12 Vintage Alnico Cab, Fender 75 1x15", Randall Steel Man 500, Peavey Session 500, Goodrich L120, Sho~Bud Pedal
www.facebook.com/guido.luckylola |
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Bob Hoffnar
From:
Austin, Tx
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Posted 20 Feb 2009 12:19 pm
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Guido,
If you listen to old recordings using real room and plate reverbs you will hear that the old recordings are actually cleaner and more clear than current recordings. Old analog tape in a properly maintained situation is much more high fidelity than current computer systems. Pro Tools HD is getting close but is not there yet. The depth of sound has been vastly degraded with the onset of computer recording. An easy way to hear it is to listen to the drums on an older recording. You can hear the soft click/tam sound of stick hitting the tom tom.
I'm not talking about current indie bands getting a crappy sound using tape and calling it vintage. Those guys are clowns. I'm talking about the old top studio scene with 3 guys running around doing nothing but fixing things all day. There are only a couple left in NYC now. Sear Sound is my favorite.
One thing I would try if you want to get a great sound with what you have is to try to get all your sounds without the use of plug ins. A creatively miked bathroom or stairwell can do the trick. Try getting all of your final sounds on the way into the computer in the first place rather then in the mixing stage.
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Bob |
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Mark van Allen
From:
Watkinsville, Ga. USA
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Posted 20 Feb 2009 1:26 pm
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| Hey, John, have you had a chance to use the Wendy Carlos plate in Altiverb? It really sounds good to me, I've mixed with a few nice EMTs... |
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John Macy
From:
Rockport TX/Denver CO
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Posted 21 Feb 2009 10:47 am
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Tried a lot of the altiverb...not sure if I actually used the Wendy plate.
We use mostly out of the box verbs...Kurzweil KSP8, Lex 224XL TCs etc. Adding the EMT and a AKG BX10 spring this month....ain't nothing like the real thing, baby...
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John Macy
Rockport, TX
Engineer/Producer/Steel Guitar |
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