Recording In A 1950s Style Recording Studio

[bobeschism]

Inspired by Norman Petty and Sam Phillips, studio owner Dean Amos has lovingly built a perfect recreation of a 1950s recording studio — right down to the dimensions of the pegboard! We eavesdrop on a session at Sugar Ray’s Vintage Recording Studio to find out why it’s still valid to record an entire band to tape, with one microphone. Sound Engineer Lincoln Grounds and the band reveal the challenges they faced when recording this way. In this experiment rockabilly band Race With The Devil record in a variety of vintage styles. Starting with only a single microphone in the live room, more microphones are added throughout the session. Compared to modern multitrack recordings, we see the differences and challenges faced in recording music the way they did back in the 1950s.



00:00 - Intro
01:32 - Initial Thoughts On The Studio Space
02:25 - Single Microphone Set-up
03:45 - Dean Amos: Sugar Ray’s Studio
05:36 - Single Microphone Recording
09:12 - Recording With 2 Microphones
10:48 - Vintage Studio Hardware
17:17 - Using 3 Microphones
18:14 - Vintage Microphones
21:38 - Recording With 4 Microphones
24:29 - Importance Of Performance Ability
28:33 - Artist’s Thoughts On The Studio Environment
29:39 - Lincoln Grounds’ Final Thoughts
34:24 - Future Of Vintage-Style Recording

 

[JackNangle]

I’ll look forward to watching this later, thanks for sharing!

 

[stiv]

Thanks a lot, that’s really interesting!

 

[Byron]

It's a great article, really good. Obviously you can choose whether you go down the route of historic recording this way, but it works for me. More in the idea of less mics though....I'd record with one and play live if it were possible. No close mics though, just two on a drum kit works great.

 

[TV the Wired Turtle]

that place makes me swoon. If I won the lotto I'd block an entire summer there, and require the engineer to wear a suit and shave haha

 

[Teledriver]

Great vid, thanks for posting that!
I'm a big fan of songs/recordings that 'mic the room'. There's just a natural resonance for the drums, and an amp over there in the corner. Done right you hear the room, if you know what I mean, and hear things better(?) as to what the amp, drums and upright bass are actually sounding like- within that space. Vocals get a certain sound too, obviously.
I didn't really relate properly my love/lust for the classic Sun sound (and others obviously), but I think you get my gist. It's the sound I want in my home recordings, but I'm a far way off. Gotta get my chops down playing first, lol.

 

[stiv]

I've had a similar experience in London while rcording one of my band's record, only in was all '60s BBC equipment.
To me was a changing point in recording session... hear yourself and hear the other instruments in the room without the need of wearing headphones it's been a point of no return.
Unless for some overdubs (and the vocals, of course), I never recorded any other way.
I've been lucky enough to have a friend that went the same path building his own all vintage recording studio in Italy.
Btw, recording with one mic it's an experiece I'd really love to do. Especially now that I'm into old blues and I aim to play the piano more than the guitar.
Thanks a lot for sharing! I know that those old studio are not for cheap (they deserve any penny they ask), but maybe one day...

 

[bobeschism]

that place makes me swoon. If I won the lotto I'd block an entire summer there, and require the engineer to wear a suit and shave haha

Yeah, he's probably the only thing that would jolt you out of the whole immersive experience, although Lincoln Grounds is a perfect name for a 50s engineer!

Great vid, thanks for posting that!
I'm a big fan of songs/recordings that 'mic the room'. There's just a natural resonance for the drums, and an amp over there in the corner. Done right you hear the room, if you know what I mean, and hear things better(?) as to what the amp, drums and upright bass are actually sounding like- within that space. Vocals get a certain sound too, obviously.
I didn't really relate properly my love/lust for the classic Sun sound (and others obviously), but I think you get my gist. It's the sound I want in my home recordings, but I'm a far way off. Gotta get my chops down playing first, lol.

I like the fact that in this vid band are going directly to the vintage Ampex tape machines. There's a lot to be said for getting the right sound through careful mic placement and hardware outboard, and committing a live band to tape without the additional mixing stage. The band has to be completely on point though. No overdubs or dropping in on the chorus if one person fluffs their part.

Speaking of Sun Studios, I'm a massive fan of Dan Sartain who recorded an album there and documented the session, which might be of interest. And as a contrast to the first video, note at the 13 minute mark where we see Sun Studios conceding to 21st century recording techniques by using Pro Tools to record live then mix afterwards!

 

[afire]

I rarely watch any YouTube videos but I watched this one start to finish and enjoyed every minute of it. I'm predisposed to buy what they're selling, but I thought he really made a compelling case for the value of that gear and those techniques.

The band has to be completely on point though. No overdubs or dropping in on the chorus if one person fluffs their part.

Then again, a whole lot of great records from that era were released with flubs just left there to be.

 

[Teledriver]

After watching the video in the op, I realized he never mentions the make and model of the tape he uses on those vintage machines. I wonder what challenges that presents, if any.

 

[NJDevil]

This was a treat and big thank you @bobeschism !!

I love the sound and method and have thought many timess how much better Springsteen's "Darkness on the Edge of Town" would've sounded this way....or at least without the resonance-choking studio they recorded in. Springsteen has ofter commented about it and was a reason why the making it took way longer than he would've wanted.

That video was great and thought how cool it was when Chris Isaak came out with the album "Beyong the Sun" at the actual studio in Memphis. I love the sound, I'm a huge Chris Isaak fan, and was pumped when the album came out. 12 years after its release and I still haven't bought it.

 

[bobeschism]

More Sun Studios. The Behind the Mic vids are fascinating and rich with detail.







One more:

 

[bobeschism]

After watching the video in the op, I realized he never mentions the make and model of the tape he uses on those vintage machines. I wonder what challenges that presents, if any.

It's an Ampex 350, which is used with standard 1/4" tape. I tracked down another interview where it's loaded with a BASF 1/4" reel, which are still available. He's also using an Ampex 300 Model - there's an excellent resource on them here. The larger Ampex 3-Track is 1/2" Tape.



In the YouTube comments, Engineer Lincoln says "Old gear is indeed really well made but this stuff is can be pretty scatty at times. We forgive it, when it works, it's magic. If you are using vintage gear, being or knowing a tech is a bonus. Good news is, it's easy to fix as it's all individual component based (discreet)."

 

[loudnlousy]

Awesome. Thank you for posting this.

Being 57 years old I had my share of true analog recording. I see the advantages and disadvantages of it.
What I really liked in all enviroments -being analog or digital- is recording live. There is nothing better than a band playing and interacting with each other. The outcome is so much more energetic and lively.

 

[Webby]

That video played a huge role in the recording process of my bands first album. We basically tried to replicate those recording strategies in a DIY-Approach, and I'm kinda happy with how it turned out!

 

[TV the Wired Turtle]

It's an Ampex 350, which is used with standard 1/4" tape. I tracked down another interview where it's loaded with a BASF 1/4" reel, which are still available. He's also using an Ampex 300 Model - there's an excellent resource on them here. The larger Ampex 3-Track is 1/2" Tape.

View attachment 203247

In the YouTube comments, Engineer Lincoln says "Old gear is indeed really well made but this stuff is can be pretty scatty at times. We forgive it, when it works, it's magic. If you are using vintage gear, being or knowing a tech is a bonus. Good news is, it's easy to fix as it's all individual component based (discreet)."

I recorded my last 2 albums over in nashville w mics into a vintage tube preamp to a japanese Neve console out to pro tools then fed to a an analog Fostex tape machine running at 30ips. That was about 10yrs ago.
I think I give the Engineer most of the credit now, not the machines. I used to spend soo much time trying to mic amps and drum kits properly, it wore me out when it was supposed to be a creative process as a singer songwriter guitarist. I will be the first to admit, I have a problem and obsession with vintage gear.
At this point in time I'm jaded though having spent a year running a church studio. recording our band directly to a Presonus and x32 DAW over to Logic Pro w killer plugins.

 

[Byron]

I'm apt to agree. In a perfect world, I'd record with vintage mics straight to tape, all live and no overdubs. But I do think it's possible to get that vibe using modern gear without tying your shoe laces together. Hence the El Pescadoro for example!

 

[Uncle Daddy]

I've met Dean a few times at various events in the UK. He's an all-round good bloke, and a wizard on the dog house bass.

 

[bobeschism]

I think I give the Engineer most of the credit now, not the machines. I used to spend soo much time trying to mic amps and drum kits properly, it wore me out when it was supposed to be a creative process as a singer songwriter guitarist. I will be the first to admit, I have a problem and obsession with vintage gear.

I was lucky enough to have had the opportunity to record in some very nice studios with some super-knowledgeable Engineers in the past. Wish I'd been more inquisitive and paid more attention at the time

 

[AlexO]

Really enjoyed that thanks for sharing!