The Beatles Polydor Sessions With Tony Sheridan Sounds Better Than Their Early EMI

They ditched their BTR's pretty quick as they sixties rolled in.

 

The Band recorded "Stage Fright" this way.

Bill

 

I don't think mastering is a big factor. The booted session tapes from Abbey Road have the same basic sound that the releases do: quite different from the Polydor tracks.

No they didn't. They were used into the '70s.

 

So all the major records at abbey road for the best part of the 60s were recorded on a BTR?

 

They were all mixed on a BTR, yes.

 

But not good enough for recording on though it seems.

 

They were not recorded on a BTR, because a BTR is a stereo machine (or mono). Recordings are made on multi-track recorders.

 

Willi Studer perhaps ?

Polydor's studio early sixties.
Apart from mic placement, room ambienace.
Do you think RTR tape came into the equation
EMI vs AGFA/BASF when it came to sound ?

 

Not in the UK pre Studer.

 

As I've already stated, I think the issue was the processing/effects used, not problems with printing the output signal to tape.

What are you talking about? We were explaining why the BTRs weren't used for recording.

And besides, the first 4-tracks at Abbey Road were Telefunkens, not Studers.

 

You just mentioned they were used for mixing.

 

Let's try this again.

You claimed EMI got rid of the BTRs quickly, which I indicated was not correct. After I indicated they were used for mixing, but not recording, you surmised they must have not been good enough for recording. But the point is, they were mono and stereo machines, not multitrack recorders with overdub capability. They ceased being used for *recording* not for lack of quality, but lack of features.

A Tim de Paravicini modified Studer C37 is likely one of the best sounding analog tape machines in the world, but that doesn't do a lot of good if you need multitrack capability.

 

I wonder how long the twin-track BTR's continued to be used on classical sessions at The Road.

 

A couple of J37's, and hey presto Sgt Pepper.

 

But he never would have done that--for him, as stated on the "BBC2 Record Producers: George Martin" programme, GM recorded The Beatles on 2-track for the sole purpose of being able to balance the levels between band instruments and vocals later on and to mix & make it sound "hard" for radio. It probably was a technique developed for the comedy records he & Parlophone specialized in earlier.

 

When I was 16 (in 1981) I did an internship (from school) for two weeks in Studio Hamburg - which is a big TV studio complex now.
Many years later, I found out that the music studio I've been in every day was the one where "Sweet Georgia Brown" was recorded.
All of their tape machines were from AEG Telefunken, and there were still two of the old ones from the early sixties: Telefunken M10.

Martin

 

That's great to know, hence me asking !

And what brand of tape was used ?

 

From 1981 I remember only AGFA. But I don't know what they've used 20 years earlier. I think AGFA and BASF were standards here in Germany.

Martin

 

Thanks Martin for the information.

EMI tape is supposed to be more durable ?

 

Hi-Fi vs. "hard-hitting". Not that "hard-hitting" can't sound good in its way, but they're different approaches/goals.

 

Hi-Fi = Polydor
"hard hitting" = early EMI/Parlophone

 

Most of them were recorded in a School Dance hall in Hamburg..Polydor didn't afford Kaempfert the luxury of a studio,so,they made do with what they'd were given!

 

That must be a good sounding dance hall!

I can hear some echo or reverberation in the Beatles Tony Sheridan session recordings. It must be a spacious indoor dance hall.

I don't think adding artificial reverbs or echoes was common or has even existed 50 years ago.