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Hi everyone, listening to some jazz records from the 50s-60s, I'm trying to figure out what effects were applied on the tracks. I have read about the use of tape echoes by some engineers like Frank Laico of Columbia. How much and how were effects such as reverbs and delays used?
Speaking of the guitar for example, if I'm not mistaken the spring reverb in Fender amps was only introduced in the 1960s. So in the 1950s reverbs (plate maybe?) were only used in mixing?
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10-10-2020 09:10 AM
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Very interesting, thanks.
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An great pedal for those interested in pre-spring reverb techniques is the El Pescadoro by Tavo Vega at The Nocturne Brain.com .The pedal emulates a number of pre-sr techniques, such as rooms and echo chambers. I find mine endlessly fascinating. Sounds great with my Vibro Champ!
Last edited by citizenk74; 10-10-2020 at 07:09 PM. Reason: fix
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50's reverbs were tanks and chambers...good studios either had huge basement chambers like capital studios in hollywood...or used water or oil tanks...like buddy hollys norman petty...you run the signal into a speaker into the chamber/tank with a mic on the other end and thats your reverb
echo or slapback as it was in those days...was made using reel to reel tape machines...tho the echo length was limited..the classic sam phillips elvis sun sessions sound
in mid late 50's ray butts invented echosonic...echo unit built right into a guitar amp...what gave scotty moore his tone on those early elvis records..later developed into a standalone echo unit...and took off from there
i believe danelectro was actually the first company to offfer reverb in an amp..pre fender
engineers really had to be ingenious then...micing techniques and room acoustics were critical...no digi racks with presets!! haha
cheers
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I once used a university indoor swimming pool complex as a reverb unit. My 10 watt MOSFET amp sounded huge. And wet! The continual wave action made the sound seemingly infinitely complex. Wish I could have recorded it.
My optimum recording set up would be to close-mic a small tube amp and record a dry signal, adding any effects later in the mix, preferably last. On the other hand, recording live, I'd use onboard or pedal-based effects and record as many takes as I could afford. There's a lot to be said for capturing a performance, especially in jazz.
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neatomic has it correct. Chambers were most popular in the 50s. Pop artists were Ray Charles, Nat Cole, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, etc. So the backing band was a jazz orchestra.
They cut live to either disk or tape, so reverbs and delays were hardwired direct to the console channels. Chambers could as primitive a speaker and mic combo in the gents' lavatory or specially-built concrete bunkers under studio buildings. The dimensions of the Capitol chambers were a safely-guarded secret.
Chamber reverb is your best bet. I would recommend anything from this list:
5 Plug-ins That Recreate Real Rooms And Physical Spaces Worth Checking Out In Your Next Mix | Production ExpertLast edited by Kirk1701; 12-19-2020 at 10:31 PM.
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Reverberation is a natural sound that does not require any 'effect' to hear it on a recording. So, just listening to recorded music, one might not know about the production, unless a fake reverb 'effect' is poorly implemented.
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Rudy Van Gelder can generate some controversy, but here’s some info on his use of reverb for Blue Note.
Evolution of the Van Gelder Sound – RVG Legacy
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another big factor in the rvg sound was his early move from fig 8 ribbon mics to neumann condensers!
cheers
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About a million years ago I dropped a grand on an Ibanez rack-mounted* stereo reverb. Amongst other things I programmed in a couple of asymetrical "rooms" - L-shaped and joined - in order to make mono mixes a little more interesting. The results were not altogether unsatisfactory. In the places we were playing, it was a largely wasted effort.
Originally Posted by KirkP
*That I did dot, in fact, have a rack to mount it in did not deter me. It was, however, the major purchase for the year. No mew guitar or amp that year!
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It sounded like Wes didn't have any reverb on some of his early records.
It made a big difference when he used it.
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Great thread. I suppose it's correct to assume e.g. Grant Green's tone on the early 60s recording is an amalgam of Green's heart, hands, articulation & taste, the ES 330, the Fender Tweed Deluxe, Neumann microphones, the studio room, the EMT model 140 plate reverb and Rudy van Gelders ears and art?
Introducing Kenny Burrell (1956 – recorded in Hackensack) would have mostly natural room and maybe some spring reverb? Compared to Midnight Blue (1963 – EMT) the album seems to have less reverb.
I tried to find out if they individually miked and mixed the instruments then or rather set up just a couple of mics in the room. Does anybody here knows?Last edited by guavajelly; 01-02-2021 at 07:30 AM.
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That’s a great article. What a genius he was. I think that setting up the room and the mics was as much a part of his method as the external reverb. Originally Posted by KirkP
95% of the time when I listen to a great jazz recording from that era and marvel at the sound space, it was engineered by RVG.
The other 5% was one of his acolytes or imitators.
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Why I like John Scofield's playing?
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