Mixing Insight

[Mark Kaufman]

Jamerson's amp....I've heard possibly an Ampeg B-15.Wonder if Jamerson just used his finger like a pick. I just don't get it. Yeah, "I Was Made to Love Her" is one of my favorite all time songs, top to bottom.My Rickenbacker (and McCartney's) has a mute pad assembly...screw the mute pad up and your strings can deaden to whichever length of sustain you like...unmuted those Ricks ring forever. I've been of the belief that Paul used that mute pad on "Lucy in the sky with Diamonds" and "Being for the Benefit of Mr Kite".

[crs7string]

I have a copy of "Standing in the Shadows of Motown: The Life and Music of the Legendary James Jamerson" This was published by Dr. Licks in 1989. The book includes transcriptions in addition to a lot of information about gear etc.Apparently, on his Fender precision Jamerson kept the foam mute "On" to give him the muted sound. He also plugged into the board:From page 83:" Because of the limited size of the Snakepit, and the inherent problems of live instruments bleeding into each others' mikes, Jamerson and the guitarists rarely recorded thru amplifiers. All the electronic instruments went directly into the recording console. Mike McClain remembers, "Under the control booth window on the wall, was a five instrument interface panel with variable gain controls and VU meters. Jamerson and the guitar players would plug into this unit and then use the Bozak monitor speaker next to the steps to hear themselves. Each guy was responsible for setting his own level and controlling how much mush they wanted in their sound, by adjusting the gain control and the VU meter."The "mush that Mike refers to was an essential element of Jamerson's fat, round tone.The engineers would add a Fairchild limiter and one or two Pultec equalizers.According to the book he did use an Ampeg B15 live, or a Kustom amp in larger rooms.I don't know if this book is still available, but for anyone interested in James and Motown, this is a great resource.Chuck

[ernstinen]

Aha! Straight into the board, eh? Very interesting stuff, Chuck!I know that McCartney began going "direct" after playing through his Vox amps for quite awhile. When Lennon heard about this, he got really excited, and asked George Martin if they could wire his brain to go directly into the board --- Seriously!George Martin said, "Well, John, that would mean inserting a jack plug into the side of your head." Lennon sure had a wild imagination, or was on drugs, or both! Ern

[davekershaw]

May 10, 2008, 8:07pm, ernstinen wrote:Lennon sure had a wild imagination, or was on drugs, or both! Ern Yeah, I think both Ern!

[Mark Kaufman]

By most written accounts there were no drugs whatsoever involved during Beatles recording sessions. Hard for many to believe, I suppose... But from what I've read, this was a strict rule among them...and they would know better than anyone that it's harder to play well when you're stoned.

[mazz]

Here's another perspective by Geoff Emerick who was the Beatles' engineer for many years. A great read:http://www.amazon.com/Here-There-Everywh....0 529377&sr=8-1Cheers,Mazz

[Mark Kaufman]

Thanks for reminding me, I've heard about this one...I just went and requested it from the library. Emerick and his willingness to try new things was an essential element of some of those greatest recordings. His job was often to come up with a realistic solution to a fantastic demand. I understand he's a bit snarky about the boys. Look forward to reading this one.

[ggalen]

I just took my copy off the bookshelf and had a look.Yup, he smelled marijuana in the studio when the boys were having a bit between takes.It is quite a detailed and interesting book.

[Mark Kaufman]

You mean, they broke THAT rule too??

[mewman]

Hi BigbluebarrySorry it's taken me so long to respond, I've been out of town for a few days. The book I mentioned is...Understanding and crafting the mix: the art of recording, by William Moylan; Elsevier/Focal Press; c2007. Also, you can pick up a dB meter for under $50 at Radio shack or on e-bay. You just turn it on and it reads volume level. It's a very handy tool when you need to know how loud a sound is. I turn on a test tone plug in I have in my DAW and point the thing at the same spot in front of each monitor and adjust the nob behind each speaker so that both are equal. The meters come in handy when you want to show the patrons in a club the respect of not damaging their hearing permanently. I've been arguing with some guys I work with to turn it down for a while now. When I brought in the meter and showed everyone the levels we were playing at, it almost resulted in us turning down, but the owner told us to turn it back up!!! Now I wear earplugs. Mewman