pink floyd "animals" recording/equipment !!!!

organik · 24th December 2006, 03:52 AM

hey slutz!

im pretty new to the forum.
one of my favorite recordings, pink floyd animals.......
i know they did this supposedly at a small home type setup they configured.
i love the sound of this album,

does anyone know what console, pres' mics anything on the prcess ? or even just comments on the album, mixing, engineer, whatever.
feel free

u b k · 25th December 2006, 08:06 AM

well, i know the bass is a gibson eb2, same as what i use. it's an unsung hero of the bottom imo, nothing else sounds like it.

gregoire
del
ubk
.

worm · 25th December 2006, 04:23 PM

I think the floyd are very fond of Coles 4038 ribbon mics

Dave gilmour has them on his houseboat recording studio, he used them for his last solo LP

Open Sky · 25th December 2006, 04:38 PM

"Wave upon wave of demented avengers march cheerfully out of obscurity into a dreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeam.... aggggggghhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!"

Wow. Just such an excellent record. It's doesn't get the attention of the others--not sure why. No singles--oh yeah, that must be it.

Don't know if you know about it, but Nick Mason wrote a autobiography last year. Should have a TON of info in there, plus it's probably quite an entertaining read. He's a pretty witty chap.

RhOdEz · 25th December 2006, 08:08 PM

song "sheep" from animals is beyond words ,dunno what else to say - timeless

alnico · 25th December 2006, 08:19 PM

"Animals" is my favorite Floyd album also. Cool use of vocoders and leslies

dlmorley · 25th December 2006, 10:34 PM

One of my fav albums by anyone.
Sheep & Dogs are incredible pieces of music and lyric.
It was, I believe, recorded in pink floyds brittania row studios. They had just set it up. I forget what desk it was however...

peeceebee · 26th December 2006, 05:25 AM

Wish I could have a "small home type setup" like THEY had!

SnakeCained · 26th December 2006, 01:35 PM

Yeah great album, big favorite of mine. There is so much stuff going on I get something new every time.

I have a great article from Studio sound c.1977 that talks a lot about the Floyds "new" studio.

Basically they were tired of clock watching at abbey road, (and having other acts use the studios while they toured etc.) so they purchased a small building in islington, london (britannia row)

half of it was used for storing their live rig and the other half was converted into a small rather austere (strip lights and brick, no hippy vibe here) studio.

as they were a bit short of money at the time (having made some bad investments and still waiting for the DSOTM money to really come in) they could not afford a Neve.

they ended up with a bundle deal from MCI (a series 500) and a Stephens tape machine. Also to be different they got dbx rather than dolby NR. This they later regretted as no one else had it so there tapes weren't much good elsewhere.
Other items included some JBL monitors (yuch) and a few 1176. er thats about it!

The engineer was brian humpries who also did live sound for them (he did Wish you were here too) I have asked about him for many years and no one knows what happened to him after the early 1980's. So he either retired or passed on. he is one man i would love to share a bottle of fine wine and chat to as he did my too favorite floyd albums.

The only other thing was that they waited to see if sales went well before doing a quad mix. And we still wait........

There were mild rumours of an SACD reissue but that's all gone quiet now and I guess "the wall" and "Wish you were here" would come first.

As you can tell, I only have a passing interest in Pink Floyd

AlexLakis · 26th December 2006, 01:41 PM

Lookin' forward to a guest vocal spot for one of the bands I produced this year at their CD release party on New Years Eve. We'll be doing "Pigs." Think I'll leave the stage to get a beer at the bar during the bridge.

One of my favorite albums of all time. Probably my favorite by Pink Floyd. I think it sounds amazing, although I think Roger Waters' solo stuff sounds sonically better.

I think the keyboard intro to "Pigs" is my favorite keyboard sound of all time.

The vocal effects on "Sheep" are unprecidentedly awesome.

The climax of "Dogs" is one of my favorite songwriting moments of all time.

Anyways, sorry, I don't have any insights on the gear involved with the album, I just get excited when I talk about Animals. Maybe I shoulda been a vet?

P.S. Interesting, I always thought Roger played his P-Bass on "Animals." Kinda sounds like it. Learn something new every day!

Natural Mystic · 26th December 2006, 04:13 PM

So thats what they used the stephens on! I always wondered about that. I think Mike Shipley actuaul sat in on those sessions, maybe he'll pop around when he see's this thread? There definatly is not enough discussion on Pink Floyd records around here.

SnakeCained · 27th December 2006, 02:31 PM

If I remeber correctly when Bob Erzin, came over to do "the wall" he made them chuck the stephens into a swimming pool!

Sounds Great · 27th December 2006, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SnakeCained

If I remeber correctly when Bob Erzin, came over to do "the wall" he made them chuck the stephens into a swimming pool!

Well that was sure dumb then. Not the easiest or most reliable machine, but it obviously sounded pretty good.

Didn't know about the DBX though, that really surprises me.

Floyd fans discuss it here: http://www.ric323.com/pf-forum/viewtopic.php?t=1313

Sounds Great · 29th December 2006, 04:35 PM

Information on "Animals"

Quote:

PIGS ON THE WING (Pt. II)
(Roger Waters)

Concept: A love song to Waters then wife Carolyne. Brings the album to a close, a "we got through it together" type of ending.

Information: Possibly the only Floyd love song. Directed at Roger Waters then wife Carolyne Christie.

Live ('77): Followed "Dogs", contains a guitar solo played by Snowy White.

Montreal Olympic Stadium (July 6th, 1977): Just as Roger Waters was about to sing the first words, a large firecracker erupted to the side of the stage. Roger immediatly stopped singing and shouted, "aww for **** sakes, stop lettin' off fireworks and shouting and screaming, I'm trying to sing a song.". Incidently this is also the same show in which Waters spat on a fan.

AlexLakis · 29th December 2006, 05:53 PM

Well, I guess that's straight from the horses mouth, but I always thought Pigs on the Wing was an intro/outro commentary on society (like the rest of the album is, comparing different types of people to animals.) A looking glass to enter and exit the album.

Track 1 - Life without compassion (not setting aside our differences)
Track 2 - Aggressive, mover/shaker, military (as always) type
Track 3 - Seven deadly sins type
Track 4 - Victim type
Track 5 - Life with compassion (setting aside our differences)

That's always how I viewed the album. I know Roger incorporated his relationship with his wife into "The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking" (it almost ruined his marriage, I read,) but I never got the feeling he was exclusively writing a love song to his wife. I mean, he may have been, but I don't think that's how he meant for the listener to identify with it.

I also noticed that the two Pigs on the Wing songs must have been recorded at seperate times, because the tone (mic placement) sounds different. I woulda thought he'd record them both back to back. Maybe he did and just went for a glass of wine in between takes.

ToddF · 29th December 2006, 10:28 PM

I am a big Animals fan also. I love the artwork also. I hope I am able to get to London someday and get a picture in front of Battle Sea.

Todd

Steve MacMillan · 30th December 2006, 01:26 AM

Quote:

The engineer was brian humpries who also did live sound for them (he did Wish you were here too) I have asked about him for many years and no one knows what happened to him after the early 1980's. So he either retired or passed on. he is one man i would love to share a bottle of fine wine and chat to as he did my too favorite floyd albums.

Animals was and is one of my favorite albums. Brian Humphries was one of my favorite engineers of the era (along with Ken Scott, Glen Johns, Eddie Offord, & Alan Parsons) and definitely inspired me to become an engineer. I feel Brian doesn't get nearly enough credit as he deserves. The Black Sabbath albums he did were the birth of Metal as far as I'm concerned, and both Floyd albums are masterpieces.

STeve

jonnyclueless · 30th December 2006, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sounds Great

Well that was sure dumb then. Not the easiest or most reliable machine, but it obviously sounded pretty good.

Didn't know about the DBX though, that really surprises me.

Floyd fans discuss it here: http://www.ric323.com/pf-forum/viewtopic.php?t=1313

On a side note, I don't think the guy (stephenson) is gonna be around much longer. He just went back in the hospital.

doorknocker · 30th December 2006, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ToddF

I hope I am able to get to London someday and get a picture in front of Battle Sea.

It's called Battersea : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battersea_Power_Station

CorkyTart · 31st December 2006, 04:11 AM

They used Fruity Loops with a POD and behringer eqs and compressors

emrr · 31st December 2006, 06:36 AM

I believe The Wall was done with a pair of synched Stephens machines.

Pigs On The Wing is one song on the 8-track release; verse (intro of LP) / guitar solo (missing from all other releases) / verse (end of LP). It was cut up and abbreviated for the LP.

yrplace · 31st December 2006, 06:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SnakeCained

If I remeber correctly when Bob Erzin, came over to do "the wall" he made them chuck the stephens into a swimming pool!

Seems unlikely as Bob owned several Stephens 24 tracks and had road cases for them so they could be shipped. I ended up with one that he sold to Producers Workshop in LA where some Floyd stuff was done. My first 24 track as it turned out. Fabulous sound, but near impossible to sync to the outside world (this is well before Pro Tools ya know) so eventually it was replaced by a Studer.

Mark Linett

Open Sky · 31st December 2006, 07:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by emrr

Pigs On The Wing is one song on the 8-track release; verse (intro of LP) / guitar solo (missing from all other releases) / verse (end of LP). It was cut up and abbreviated for the LP.

Are you serious? That is news to me. Did the band kick in or was it just a light little solo? Breaking it up into the 2 parts seems so perfectly conceptual and Floyd-like. I naturally just assumed it was planned out that way.

ToddF · 31st December 2006, 10:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doorknocker

It's called Battersea : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battersea_Power_Station

Whoops.

Todd

max cooper · 1st January 2007, 12:50 AM

Pigs on the Wing (Part One):

I always figured Roger Waters played the gitter on this. It's almost rubato, just following the vocal. Hard to imagine two guys working it out that way. Also, the way it trails off at the end...

James Guitar · 1st January 2007, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Open Sky

Are you serious? That is news to me. Did the band kick in or was it just a light little solo? Breaking it up into the 2 parts seems so perfectly conceptual and Floyd-like. I naturally just assumed it was planned out that way.

this longer version isn't that hard to come by, methinks. i had it on my itunes for a while. now it's not there. the band does not kick in in the solo. to me, the solo sounds a lot like gilmour, but that's just, like, my opinion, man.
on a related topic, i do have a handful of rog's demos for the wall (The Trial, Don't Leave Me Now). if people would like to hear them, i can start a new thread with them, although i'm not sure of the copyright situation on that.
-J

AMIEL · 2nd January 2007, 12:59 AM

I think Pink Floyd recorded some records on a Quad Eight consolel!

AlexLakis · 2nd January 2007, 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ToddF

I am a big Animals fan also. I love the artwork also. I hope I am able to get to London someday and get a picture in front of Battle Sea.

Todd

I sold a used copy of "Animals" last month at the record store. The guy went out to his car and came back in with a picture he took there from the exact angle of the album art (minus the flying pig.) It was neat!

Quote:

Originally Posted by max cooper

Pigs on the Wing (Part One):

I always figured Roger Waters played the gitter on this. It's almost rubato, just following the vocal. Hard to imagine two guys working it out that way. Also, the way it trails off at the end...

I was always under the impression that he played guitar on this too. I also always thought he played guitar on "Mother" as well, could be wrong about that, tho.

max cooper · 2nd January 2007, 11:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlexLakis

I sold a used copy of "Animals" last month at the record store.

Stop! Buy a turntable!

AlexLakis · 3rd January 2007, 12:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by max cooper

Stop! Buy a turntable!

Got three! I was the guy who was behind the register.

And at least it was an early pressing copy!

For Floyd on vinyl, I've got:

A Nice Pair
Atom Heart Mother
Meddle
Dark Side of the Moon
The Wall
The Final Cut

Animals is definately next on my "to get" list. Love me some vinyl.

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24th December 2006, 03:52 AM	#1
organik Gear maniac Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: new york Posts: 162	pink floyd "animals" recording/equipment !!!! hey slutz! im pretty new to the forum. one of my favorite recordings, pink floyd animals....... i know they did this supposedly at a small home type setup they configured. i love the sound of this album, does anyone know what console, pres' mics anything on the prcess ? or even just comments on the album, mixing, engineer, whatever. feel free

25th December 2006, 08:06 AM	#2
u b k Lives for gear Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: m a n h a t t a n Posts: 5,574	well, i know the bass is a gibson eb2, same as what i use. it's an unsung hero of the bottom imo, nothing else sounds like it. gregoire del ubk . __________________ . . m i x _ a r c h i t e c t . . __________________

25th December 2006, 08:08 PM	#5
RhOdEz Gear maniac Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: $%^f%$^% Posts: 245	song "sheep" from animals is beyond words ,dunno what else to say - timeless Last edited by RhOdEz; 25th December 2006 at 08:49 PM.. Reason: typo ...

29th December 2006, 10:28 PM	#16
ToddF Lives for gear Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Minneapolis Posts: 585	I am a big Animals fan also. I love the artwork also. I hope I am able to get to London someday and get a picture in front of Battle Sea. Todd __________________ Todd Fitzgerald Producer/Engineer Winterland Studios Minneapolis API Legacy + http://www.winterlandstudios.com

25th December 2006, 04:23 PM	#3
worm Gear nut Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: london Posts: 137	I think the floyd are very fond of Coles 4038 ribbon mics Dave gilmour has them on his houseboat recording studio, he used them for his last solo LP

25th December 2006, 04:38 PM	#4
Open Sky Gear nut Join Date: May 2006 Location: West Coast, USA Posts: 144	"Wave upon wave of demented avengers march cheerfully out of obscurity into a dreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeam.... aggggggghhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!" Wow. Just such an excellent record. It's doesn't get the attention of the others--not sure why. No singles--oh yeah, that must be it. Don't know if you know about it, but Nick Mason wrote a autobiography last year. Should have a TON of info in there, plus it's probably quite an entertaining read. He's a pretty witty chap.

25th December 2006, 08:19 PM	#6
alnico Gear addict Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: USA Posts: 429	"Animals" is my favorite Floyd album also. Cool use of vocoders and leslies

25th December 2006, 10:34 PM	#7
dlmorley Lives for gear Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Belgium Posts: 3,092	One of my fav albums by anyone. Sheep & Dogs are incredible pieces of music and lyric. It was, I believe, recorded in pink floyds brittania row studios. They had just set it up. I forget what desk it was however...

26th December 2006, 05:25 AM	#8
peeceebee Gear addict Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 309	Wish I could have a "small home type setup" like THEY had!

26th December 2006, 01:35 PM	#9
SnakeCained Lives for gear Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: LONDON Posts: 642	Yeah great album, big favorite of mine. There is so much stuff going on I get something new every time. I have a great article from Studio sound c.1977 that talks a lot about the Floyds "new" studio. Basically they were tired of clock watching at abbey road, (and having other acts use the studios while they toured etc.) so they purchased a small building in islington, london (britannia row) half of it was used for storing their live rig and the other half was converted into a small rather austere (strip lights and brick, no hippy vibe here) studio. as they were a bit short of money at the time (having made some bad investments and still waiting for the DSOTM money to really come in) they could not afford a Neve. they ended up with a bundle deal from MCI (a series 500) and a Stephens tape machine. Also to be different they got dbx rather than dolby NR. This they later regretted as no one else had it so there tapes weren't much good elsewhere. Other items included some JBL monitors (yuch) and a few 1176. er thats about it! The engineer was brian humpries who also did live sound for them (he did Wish you were here too) I have asked about him for many years and no one knows what happened to him after the early 1980's. So he either retired or passed on. he is one man i would love to share a bottle of fine wine and chat to as he did my too favorite floyd albums. The only other thing was that they waited to see if sales went well before doing a quad mix. And we still wait........ There were mild rumours of an SACD reissue but that's all gone quiet now and I guess "the wall" and "Wish you were here" would come first. As you can tell, I only have a passing interest in Pink Floyd

26th December 2006, 01:41 PM	#10
AlexLakis Lives for gear Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Annapolis, MD/L.A. Posts: 3,612	Lookin' forward to a guest vocal spot for one of the bands I produced this year at their CD release party on New Years Eve. We'll be doing "Pigs." Think I'll leave the stage to get a beer at the bar during the bridge. One of my favorite albums of all time. Probably my favorite by Pink Floyd. I think it sounds amazing, although I think Roger Waters' solo stuff sounds sonically better. I think the keyboard intro to "Pigs" is my favorite keyboard sound of all time. The vocal effects on "Sheep" are unprecidentedly awesome. The climax of "Dogs" is one of my favorite songwriting moments of all time. Anyways, sorry, I don't have any insights on the gear involved with the album, I just get excited when I talk about Animals. Maybe I shoulda been a vet? P.S. Interesting, I always thought Roger played his P-Bass on "Animals." Kinda sounds like it. Learn something new every day!

26th December 2006, 04:13 PM	#11
Natural Mystic Gear maniac Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 186	So thats what they used the stephens on! I always wondered about that. I think Mike Shipley actuaul sat in on those sessions, maybe he'll pop around when he see's this thread? There definatly is not enough discussion on Pink Floyd records around here.

27th December 2006, 02:31 PM	#12
SnakeCained Lives for gear Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: LONDON Posts: 642	If I remeber correctly when Bob Erzin, came over to do "the wall" he made them chuck the stephens into a swimming pool!

29th December 2006, 05:53 PM	#15
AlexLakis Lives for gear Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Annapolis, MD/L.A. Posts: 3,612	Well, I guess that's straight from the horses mouth, but I always thought Pigs on the Wing was an intro/outro commentary on society (like the rest of the album is, comparing different types of people to animals.) A looking glass to enter and exit the album. Track 1 - Life without compassion (not setting aside our differences) Track 2 - Aggressive, mover/shaker, military (as always) type Track 3 - Seven deadly sins type Track 4 - Victim type Track 5 - Life with compassion (setting aside our differences) That's always how I viewed the album. I know Roger incorporated his relationship with his wife into "The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking" (it almost ruined his marriage, I read,) but I never got the feeling he was exclusively writing a love song to his wife. I mean, he may have been, but I don't think that's how he meant for the listener to identify with it. I also noticed that the two Pigs on the Wing songs must have been recorded at seperate times, because the tone (mic placement) sounds different. I woulda thought he'd record them both back to back. Maybe he did and just went for a glass of wine in between takes.

31st December 2006, 04:11 AM	#20
CorkyTart Lives for gear Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: In a house Posts: 1,160	They used Fruity Loops with a POD and behringer eqs and compressors

31st December 2006, 06:36 AM	#21
emrr Gear maniac Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: nc Posts: 266	I believe The Wall was done with a pair of synched Stephens machines. Pigs On The Wing is one song on the 8-track release; verse (intro of LP) / guitar solo (missing from all other releases) / verse (end of LP). It was cut up and abbreviated for the LP. __________________ Best, Doug Williams ElectroMagnetic Radiation Recorders

1st January 2007, 12:50 AM	#25
max cooper Lives for gear Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: tx Posts: 8,819	Pigs on the Wing (Part One): I always figured Roger Waters played the gitter on this. It's almost rubato, just following the vocal. Hard to imagine two guys working it out that way. Also, the way it trails off at the end...

2nd January 2007, 12:59 AM	#27
AMIEL Lives for gear Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Miami, Fl Posts: 2,358	I think Pink Floyd recorded some records on a Quad Eight consolel! __________________ Peace. Reuven Amiel. Focal Monitors ? PM me "There are no rules, just knowledge, good taste and experimentation" "Music was designed to escape from reality for a moment, not to magnify our fears and problems"