What compressor did the Beatles use at Abbey Road Studios?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Steve Hoffman, Mar 5, 2003.

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  1. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Bigobug and several people have asked about this. So, for the tech types among you (all 6 of you):

    Abbey Road engineer Norman Smith's favorite compressor for recording and mixing was the old Altec 436C. A cheap but effective compressor that added the famous "splatter" to everything Beatles. This wouldn't be my first (or 10th) choice as a compressor, but I'm not into distortion!



    http://recordist.com/ampex/schematics/altec/436atl10.pdf

    Geoff Emerick:
    Geoff's favorite compressor was the stereo Fairchild 670. It was nothing like the Altec, being very subtle in nature, unless pushed (as on Revolver) and then it gave a "sound" that we all know from thousands of mixes from the 1960's and beyond....A clean one is worth around $25,000.00 these days, though I don't know why.

    It looks like this:



    http://www.proaudioeurope.com/london/vintage/compressor/fairchild_b.html

    Manley makes one for a LOT less:

    http://www.manleylabs.com/containerpages/mu99.html

    I play with the Manley at AcousTech sometimes, I can make anything sound like "Revolver", even Brahms Lullaby:

    http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3227

    Third shot down, up at the top left of the console.
     
    Steve Hoffman, Mar 5, 2003
    #1
  2. RetroSmith

    RetroSmith Forum Hall Of Fame<br>(Formerly Mikey5967)

    Location:
    East Coast
    Wow..........

    Cool, but you aint heard compression till youve really listened to Joe Meeks records with his 1936 BBC Optical Compressor. He compressed his records to HELL!!!!!

    As one Mr Hoffman knows!!
     
    RetroSmith, Mar 5, 2003
    #2
  3. sgraham

    sgraham New Member

    Location:
    Michigan
    Turn off your mind, relax, and, er, go to sleep?
     
    sgraham, Mar 5, 2003
    #3
  4. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    It's funny. That Altec compressor is so unliked in this country, when I was in college radio, the chief engineer wouldn't even use one in the signal chain.

    He would have laughed to learn that Beatles' recordings up until 1966 were recorded with it in the chain. That's too much!
     
    Steve Hoffman, Mar 5, 2003
    #4
  5. Gary

    Gary Nauga Gort! Staff

    Location:
    Toronto
    You know what would be cool? To have a CD of examples of different compessors, types of splatter, etc. on one CD so people (like newby mastering engineers, recording engineers, musicians, radio stations, etc.) could easily compare them and tailor their 'sound' as they see fit.

    Or am I missing something here? As most stuff is recorded digitally these days are compressors still used in the recording studio?

    And, of course, you'd sell / distribute..... six copies. :(

    Just a thought.
     
    Gary, Mar 5, 2003
    #5
  6. Rob LoVerde

    Rob LoVerde New Member

    Location:
    USA
    Steve,

    Priceless information for us Beatles nuts who happen to also be techies. Thanks a million!
     
    Rob LoVerde, Mar 6, 2003
    #6
  7. Jamie Tate

    Jamie Tate New Member

    Location:
    Nashville
    Steve,

    I have two Altec 1591 A compressors just sitting around. What's the story on them? What era are they from?

    I've used them a couple of times but the attack and release were too damn slow for me. I could clock the release time on a second hand(!).
     
    Jamie Tate, Mar 6, 2003
    #7
  8. Henry Love

    Henry Love Senior Member

    Location:
    Chicagoland
    Steve,not a techie at all but follow the best I can. Also enjoy the tube stuff,Gold Star studio,tape stories,best Beatles recordings,I could go on.The information is appreciated.
     
    Henry Love, Mar 6, 2003
    #8
  9. Jamie Tate

    Jamie Tate New Member

    Location:
    Nashville
    Steve,

    Have you heard the new (old) EMI compressors being made now? They're from the solid state, TG series boards (late 60's through the 80's). I saw they were also in all the mastering suites at Abbey Road.

    They seem to key off the low end instead of the middle like most compressors do. If I have it on a drum submix I can make the cymbals go away everytime the kick drum is hit, like on She Said She Said.
     
    Jamie Tate, Mar 6, 2003
    #9
  10. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    One of these?

    http://www.4sync.com/rc/picdisplay.asp?itemkey=352

    I thought this was a mic pre as well....

    I can't stand the sound of Altec gear so I've never done any research on them. Sorry!
     
    Steve Hoffman, Mar 6, 2003
    #10
  11. Jamie Tate

    Jamie Tate New Member

    Location:
    Nashville
    Yeah, that's the one. I didn't like it either, which is why it's just sitting around my house. I was hoping for something more dramatic than what it gave me. Back on eBay it goes.
     
    Jamie Tate, Mar 6, 2003
    #11
  12. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    I've only heard them on Abbey Road mixes.

    A bit too, er, much for my taste, but fun to play with. I've never actually heard them used NORMALLY so they might sound great.

    Do they?
     
    Steve Hoffman, Mar 6, 2003
    #12
  13. Jamie Tate

    Jamie Tate New Member

    Location:
    Nashville
    In the compression setting they are still heavy handed. You know on some McCartney tunes the vocal gets so loud the compressor on the stereo buss will push the music away and make the track really quite except for the vocal? I'm thinking in particular of the last chorus of Listen to what the Man Said (as I listen to the DCC version I got today). That's the sound of this box. Heck, it is probably the same compressor they used.

    When it's in limit mode, anything over 2dB of gain reduction will obliterate the music and make it almost sound inside out. It's only good for special effects type of things.
     
    Jamie Tate, Mar 6, 2003
    #13
  14. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Sounds like it would have worked great for a Top 40 radio jock as well; push the background down while talking and all that.
     
    Steve Hoffman, Mar 6, 2003
    #14
  15. Jamie Tate

    Jamie Tate New Member

    Location:
    Nashville
    He might get a little motion sick.
     
    Jamie Tate, Mar 6, 2003
    #15
  16. Jamie Tate

    Jamie Tate New Member

    Location:
    Nashville
    Oh, by the way, thanks for posting this info. This may be my favorite thread ever. This era of Abbey Road holds all of my imagination. I constantly think about what it would've really been like to be there. What were these people like? What was said during the sessions? Who told the best jokes? What did this stuff sound like in the control room when it was recorded? Etc...
     
    Jamie Tate, Mar 6, 2003
    #16
  17. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    ...What did the guitar amps sound like to Ringo while drumming without headphones. And so on.

    Must have been an amazing time.

    I can hear Ringo's snare rattling and vibrating on John's guitar opening to "I Feel Fine". The guitars must have been pretty darn loud in the studio for that to happen.

    Wish I coulda been there!
     
    Steve Hoffman, Mar 6, 2003
    #17
  18. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O!

    Location:
    United States Of America
    God! Me Too!!!:love:
     
    Michael, Mar 6, 2003
    #18
  19. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O!

    Location:
    United States Of America
    On a sidebar...was recently listening to the Beach Boys "When I Grow Up To Be A Man" sessions on the Sea Of Tunes Series...Amazing chatter and bantering. I was cracking up listening to Chuck Britz...trying to get some co-operation to finish the session, while the boys fooled around...what an amazing time...just like being there. The closest thing imaginable!
     
    Michael, Mar 6, 2003
    #19
  20. Bob Lovely

    Bob Lovely Super Gort In Memoriam

    Location:
    Overland Park, Kansas
    Friends,

    When you read the "tech sheet" on the Altec you get the impression that it was more designed for "industrial/commercial" applications versus a studio application. If true, that might explain it's particular sonic qualities.

    Bob
     
    Bob Lovely, Mar 6, 2003
    #20
  21. wes

    wes Senior Member

    Location:
    Hillbilly Hollywood, TN
    That Altec compressor gets hit really hard on the Please Please Me album.......When the vocals get loud..........I actually think it's kind of a charming sound.........I love the drum sound on Please Please Me.........The drums on the next three follow ups sounded too small and thin................

    Steve, did they start miking the drums differently after Please Please Me or what?

    -Wes
     
    wes, Mar 6, 2003
    #21
  22. Jamie Tate

    Jamie Tate New Member

    Location:
    Nashville
    I don't know if Norman ever used more than 3 mics, maybe Steve could tell us but Geoff started close micing things when he took over the engineering chair. I think there's stories of Geoff getting notes from the suits reprimanding him for this. It got out of control when they started putting towels over the drums so they wouldn't rattle. Ugh!
     
    Jamie Tate, Mar 6, 2003
    #22
  23. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Heh.

    The reason the drums sound so "big" on the first stuff (especially on the German "Die Beatles" disc which used the twin-track flat copy without EXTRA compression) is that there were open microphones for the vocals, being compressed live on the spot. That made that BIG drum sound, missing from the second album on.

    Check out the audio from the first (and third) Beatles' Ed Sullivan show. BIG drums on that as well, and there wasn't even a MICROPHONE on Ringo's drums at all; that's JUST leakage.


    I love that sound. Easy to get; just ask any garage band that tries to make a recording (with a cassette recorder or something propped up in front of the band)...
     
    Steve Hoffman, Mar 6, 2003
    #23
  24. lukpac

    lukpac Senior Member

    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    Steve, what exactly do you mean by "open"? I know the vocals on WTB were cut live with the backing, just as they were for PPM. Did they back off the compression (which would bring up the sound of the backing during any "gaps")?
     
    lukpac, Mar 6, 2003
    #24
  25. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Well, you have a studio setup with the least amount of "baffles" of any Beatles recording to start.

    Now, you have the compressor on the MUSIC TRACKS, so the drums, bass and guitars are all being hit by the same compressor, MINUS THE VOCALS. That is one half of the unique sound. The clincher, is that the vocals were miked and compressed with a SEPARATE compressor that was "hitting harder and faster than the one used on the music. So every drum whack was magnified through the vocal mike at a different rate than the music side. A unique sound.

    Just listen to the vocal channels. All that "music noise" in the background is practically the same volume. No dynamics at all. A powerful sound that even lets us hear the unamplified string strumming and plucking of the guitars!

    Try listening to stereo "Misery". Very noticeable on that one.
     
    Steve Hoffman, Mar 6, 2003
    #25
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