Reo Speedwagon vocal sound

[C.Judd Karn]

Yes KB, this is awesome.....and be as descriptive as you like, great stuff!!!!!

Sent from my DROID2 using Gearslutz.com

[Empty Planet]

Originally Posted by kevinbeamish

"The possibilities are mindless" and "You can't see the chorus for the trees" are appropriate quotes I've come up with.

I hate to be caught making this comment, but omg, these are instant classics. These are fab. They're going right onto my wall. Thank you.


Cheers.

[kafka]

Originally Posted by kevinbeamish

I'll be happy to post more info, especially about the amazing KC vocal sound.

Would love to hear about this, Kevin. Those vocals are just huge.

[Bill@WelcomeHome]

The funny thing about the guitar/amp story, at that time a number of us found that 50 watt Marshall to be 'the sound' we were looking for. That ran completely counter to the general wisdom of the time which demanded multiple 100 watt Marshall stacks, as "louder was better". We took out band into the studio and I just hated the guitar sound I was getting from the stacks. Dropped down to a 50 watt Marshall, in my case with a custom built cabinet from a Gauss design holding a Gauss 10 and a JBL 12. With my 57 Les Paul it was just what I had been looking for then. Sent a lot of us looking for less powerful amps.

[Mr. Kelly]

Be careful, Kevin, of what you offer... we might just take you UP on it!!!

Thanks for your generosity of time and energy to help out on here. Also, hope you're feeling ok! Oh, your aching back...!

I'm guessing there's a bit of Aphex Aural Exciter on the HI album that folks are asking about... Am I right? It's my guess that it's that box that brought forth the amazing "sparkle" that record holds.

Also, I seem to be the first to ask about the monster drum sound on your work, too. Let's not forget about that!

Cheers.

[kevinbeamish]

Hey guys,
Thanks for the continuing interest.
I should have a little time later on today to post a couple of things.
KB

[softwareguy]

Thanks for making the time to enlighten us, Kevin. These sounds and songs were so omni present in their day that they are really just integral to what I grew up considering to be R&R.

[cinealta]

Thanks for the great info, Kevin! Looking forward to hearing more about Cronin's distinctive vocal sound if you get a chance. Thanks.

[Swurveman]

REO came to my little Midwestern town around 1973-1974 and was my friends and my first concert.

In the spirit of this REO tribute thread, this is perhaps the first song we heard in a concert. We were all hooked from that point on.

The clarity in the songwriting was there from the start. And Gary Richrath's finger vibrato had a liquidy magic to it that was unique.

[squirreltrench]

Originally Posted by kevinbeamish

An awesome guitar in the hands of a great player connected to the right amplifier with nothing but a high quality cable in the way - what a concept!! Just add a simple dynamic mic run through a vintage Neve console and...MAGIC.

+1

Originally Posted by Swurveman

... And Gary Richrath's finger vibrato had a liquidy magic to it that was unique.

Indeed, he often used a slow vibrato that is not easy to pull off (no pun intended) when the fingers are flying fast and furiously.

[kafka]

Originally Posted by Bill@WelcomeHome

The funny thing about the guitar/amp story, at that time a number of us found that 50 watt Marshall to be 'the sound' we were looking for. That ran completely counter to the general wisdom of the time which demanded multiple 100 watt Marshall stacks, as "louder was better". We took out band into the studio and I just hated the guitar sound I was getting from the stacks.

I've always preferred the 50W JMP to the 100W. It's a tighter sound that jumps out better.

[kevinbeamish]

To those that are interested...
Kevin Cronin (KC) is a very interesting vocalist. In addition to being a very talented songwriter and singer, what makes him special is something called style. Unique is a word that fails to comprehend.
Here's the deal: If you heard a brand new REO song tonight, one that you had never heard before, you would know immediately and instinctively that it was KC singing. There are many amazing singers out there, but stylistically there is only one KC. Fan of REO or not, there is no escaping this. Passion, connection to the lyrics, and delivery are all part of his magic.

One of KC's most special talents is his ability to double his own voice. After singing a song and capturing on tape everything we had hoped for, he would immediately walk back into the studio and sing the song top to bottom, doubling it all flawlessly. His ability to precisely match every pitch, tone, nuance and passion is uncanny, and this amazing technique led to so much of the vocal magic of "Hi Infidelity".

Next: mics, pre-amps, compressors, consoles, insights into recording "Hi Infidelity", reverb, and some other things few people know that might surprise you.

KB

[gabler]

Originally Posted by kevinbeamish

Hi Guys,
Kevin Beamish here,
I'll address the Gary Richrath guitars and tone questions.
I first started working with REO in 1978-1979 on the "Nine Lives" album. We began the first tracking sessions at Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, CA. After working on drum sounds with Alan Gratzer and getting Bruce Hall's bass sound, it was time to find the great guitar sound that Gary imagined and demanded for the album. The song "Heavy On Your Love" was the first focal point as Gary had a tone in his head and a sound image that just was not coming out of his amplifier speakers. Before the days of music computers and all the guitar and amp emulators that we have today, we had the obvious tools to work with: guitars, amps, and pedals (the usual array of stomp boxes that were available at the time, real wah-wah pedals, etc.). So, now that I've told you what you already know, this is what we did...
Gary and I, along with Kevin Cronin (KC from now on) went into the main live room in Studio A at Sound City to find that magical guitar sound. It was (and still is) a huge, warehouse sized, untreated room with very high ceilings and a linoleum tile floor. Note: This is the same studio where many great albums were recorded. Fleetwood Mac (Rumours), Tom Petty and lots more - also the seminal album of 1991 that changed the world and invented the word "alternative" -Nirvana's "Nevermind". Another very interesting note: The warehouse which houses Sound City was in a very industrial part of Van Nuys. Prior to the studio, the building was the U.S. home to VOX amplifiers. And before VOX the space that is the huge live room held an immense water tank where the underwater scenes were filmed for the 1958-1961 hit TV show "Sea Hunt" starring LLoyd Bridges (father of Jeff Bridges and Beau Bridges). Most of you won't remember, but interesting trivia nonetheless. But I digress...
I attempted to get Gary to verbalize his vision for the guitar tone he envisioned but he truly couldn't. It was a sound he was hearing in his head and it was my job along with KC to try to find it. In these situations it's crucial to keep an open mind, try anything and everything, use your instincts, experience, and gut feelings. Check your ego at the door. ( As you've surely heard many times before - "keep it simple", "simple is better".) For the young and upcoming engineers out there who also have a musical, creative desire to also be a producer, here is one of my favorite thought processes - I think of myself as an idea man. If you have good ideas, throw them out there IF AND ONLY IF you're convinced that you have good and viable thoughts to be considered. I try to think like a professional baseball player, a hitter who gets paid millions of dollars to bat with a .300 plus batting average. Meaning: If you come up with 10 good creative ideas and 3 of them stick and work, then that is considered successful.
I convinced Gary and KC that we should return to the basics and start over from scratch in order to find and create the desired tone - it just wasn't working with the initial setup that he was playing through in that early session.
At that time Gary had several favorite guitars. A 1959 Les Paul Sunburst, a '58 Goldtop, and a 3 pickup Black Beauty (I think it was a 1960). The '59 sunburst was a wonderful, well intonated axe with an awesome sound. But the incredible sound of that guitar also had everything to do with being in the hands and fingers of Gary, an amazing and passionate player and musician. In my opinion, one of the most highly under rated rock guitarists out there.
The '59 Paul was our go-to guitar for the majority of rhythm parts and solos, with the other two seeing action here and there.
We tried a handful of amps and speakers. The powerful Marshall 100W heads and slant cabs were loud and raucous, but in the end too much for the tight, but more controlled big sound we were seeking. In addition, we decided to take away any impedance (pun intended) between the guitar and amp, so any and all pedals were disconnected. After more amp trials we pulled out Gary's Marshall 50 Watt Combo, and set it on a folding chair so that it would speak a little more freely in the room than just sitting on the floor. Immediately after plugging it in we were onto something. With 15 or 20 minutes more of tweaking volumes and tone settings, and turning the chair in the room this way and that to find the sweet spot, I put the (obligatory) Shure 57 slightly off-axis to the speaker with the mic almost touching the grill. Don't forget that as good as amp/speaker sims have become, a real amplifier moves real air in a real room full of air... A few millimeters this way and that with the mic and there it was - the sound Gary had held in his head, a sound we all LOVED, and a good start to a 5 year, 15X platinum adventure I shared with REO.
In conclusion, the guitar sound that many of you have commented on was truly simple, yet in a strangely complex way because today we tend to get lost in the technology that's available to us and we forget the importance of the old source-to-load electronic (and sound) equation. "The possibilities are mindless" and "You can't see the chorus for the trees" are appropriate quotes I've come up with. An awesome guitar in the hands of a great player connected to the right amplifier with nothing but a high quality cable in the way - what a concept!! Just add a simple dynamic mic run through a vintage Neve console and...MAGIC.

p.s. Kudos to Mertmo for posting "So bold, full of attitude and yet very lyrical. One of my earliest influences for sure. For me he's kind of the quintessential les paul rock guitarist.
He took the sonic signature of that instrument in that setting, and just pumped it to the max." Good insight.

Sorry to be so verbose - this started out as simple post and turned into a novel. If I haven't bored you all to death, post back if you're interested in more memories.

c.2012 Kevin Beamish

Very interesting information. I would never get bored with any of your work! Thanks for being here. Maybe we can get to other stuff like kenny Chesney and other artists... I cant wait to read about how the vocals were recorded. You really gave REO speedwagon a sound that contributed to there success! I am so glad I started this thread...

[Cabo Robo]

I would encourage you guys to listen to Kevin's Nashville work as well. He played a big part in sculpting whats become modern country music.

I'm a bit partial as Kevin was one of my first clients. It's great to see his work appreciated.
Rob Dennis

[suicide shift]

Great stuff ... The kind of thing that makes gearslutz worth looking at.

[kevinbeamish]

Thanks Rob..I appreciate your comments.
I will try to post more this weekend re: my insiders view of Kevin Cronin / REO Speedwagon.

[gabler]

I cant thank you enough for your responses! This is like a dream come true to be able to chat with you on Gearslutz! Can I ask about what reverb units or delay were used. Also how much compression and at what ratio back then?

Originally Posted by gabler

Does anyone know what effects were used on the vocals? How did they get that sound? Also preamp,mixing console? I just love the sound from there recordings. Thanks,Steve

[xj32]

Thanks again for taking time to do this. I would also love to know about how the drum sounds were achieved?

They are so huge, tight and yet spacious at the same time.

XJ

[kevinbeamish]

Hi,
I'll reply with much more info this week...had some lower back problems for last 2 weeks that have sidelined me..please be patient for more in depth discussion.
Peace,
KB

[Puffpastry]

Thanks Kevin for such a great and informative thread. I subscribe to a number of pro audio and music magazines. The info you are posting here is more interesting than most magazine interviews.

I am a fan of the REO recordings from the late '70's and early '80's. In fact, a lot of the music I listen to today is from that era.

Sorry to hear about your back pain, but I hope you continue to post, Kevin. You have my undivided attention.

John

[kevinbeamish]

Thanks for caring John, I will be posting sometime this week.