What consoles were used on Thriller?

[Harvey Gerst]

Originally Posted by uylink

can anyone please tell me what the model of JBL SPEAKER in the picture...
thank you very much...

If you're talking about the JBL's sitting on the meter bridge (next to the Auratone 5C's, those are JBL 4310's, I believe.

[Bruce Swedien]

Gearslutz.....

Every sound source on the "THRILLER" intro is in stereo.

Bruce Swedien

[Bruce Swedien]

Who is Tommy Uzzo and where is Dix Hills, Long Island????

Bruce

[not_so_new]

Originally Posted by Mark Cattano

Bruce

I was just over at Tommy Uzzo's old studio in Dix Hills, Long Island, and was told that some of Thriller was recorded/mixed there...to my amazement. The room is just a shadow of what it once was, and I was told that during the Thriller sessions he had an SSL. True or false?

Regards,

I guess that would be a "false" then? LOL

Originally Posted by Bruce Swedien

Who is Tommy Uzzo and where is Dix Hills, Long Island????

Bruce

[Harvey Gerst]

"Who is Tommy Uzzo and where is Dix Hills, Long Island????"

Internet speculation: Free
Internet Rumors: Free
Bruce's Response: Priceless

[Bruce Swedien]

Originally Posted by FULL-DUPLEX

The intro is one of the best ever made. Simply a classic!

Just curious to know... Was the Shure SM-7 the one and only vocal mic for Michael´s voice on Thriller??

It would be more interesting, I think to talk a bit about the technique that I used when I recorded Michael's vocal's than to identify one single mike for M.J.s vocal's. (Though my Shure SM-7 was the mike that I used mostly on M.J. in those days...)

How's this????

Recording Vocals with Michael

Here's an example of how I have used early reflections to create both presence and depth of field in my recording work with Michael Jackson. I have to say at this point that Michael is not only the best vocalist I have ever worked with, but he loves to experiment with sound, and has always been highly supportive and very enthusiastic about my sonic ideas. In addition, Quincy Jones has always allowed me the creative freedom to bring my sonic personality to the music at hand.

When Michael, Quincy and I have recorded the background vocals and harmonies on all his albums, I’ll begin by recording a monophonic melody track with Michael fairly close to the microphone. Of course, Michael sings all these backgrounds himself. Michael is such an expert at doubling his backgrounds and other vocal parts, that he even doubles his vibrato rate perfectly! Of course Michael has absolutely incredible ears... his pitch is flawless!

Next I'll have him double the same track at the same position at the mic. After that track, I'll have him step back two paces and record a third pass of the same melody with the gain raised to match the level of the previous two. That raises the ratio of early reflections to direct sound. Blended with the first two tracks, this has a wonderful effect. Finally, I might even have him step back further and record a stereo pass of the same line using the microphones set-up in X-Y pair, or “Blumlein Pair”, and blend those tracks in as well.

You can hear this techique in action, for yourself, on Michael’s background block harmony vocals on the song "Rock With You" on Michael’s “OFF THE WALL” album.

This technique tricks the ear into perceiving a depth of field that isn't really there, through the addition of early reflections. (If I'm using any reverb on that vocal, I'll make sure that the pre-delay is long enough so that the reverb doesn't cover those early reflections.)

My unquestionably favorite true stereophonic microphone techniques is the “Blumlein Pair” method. This fantastic microphone technique was conceived in the fertile imagination of Alan Dower Blumlein. It is perhaps the best known of all single point stereo microphone techniques. Almost every engineer has at least heard of a “Blumlein Pair”, as crossed figure-of-eights (NOT cardioids as some mistakenly believe) at 90 degrees are commonly known, even though Blumlein himself patented other techniques. It incorporates two bi-directional microphones, one on top of the other to make the capsules as coincident as possible, angled at 90 degrees to each other. It is probably the most candid of all truly stereophonic microphone techniques.

You can hear this techique in action, for yourself, on the Andre Crouch choir on the song "Man In The Mirror" on Michael’s “BAD” album.

Bruce Swedien

[mastermix]

Hey Bruce,

Good to see you here. Just read Make Mine Music a few weeks ago, great read.

Just finished Quincy's autobiography a couple days as a bookend to yours...



keep it coming

[Mark Cattano]

Flame suit on...never mind.

[Bruce Swedien]

I see that - Michael Jackson: "Blood on the Dance Floor" - History in The Mix is listed in the credits of Tommy. I don' t recall meeting him. That doesn't mean that I haven't met him. Many very talented folks work on Michael's projects....

I'm sure that with a CV like his he is very talented and no doubt a great guy...

I didn't mean to infer anything else....

Bruce Swedien

[Bruce Swedien]

Originally Posted by Harvey Gerst

If you're talking about the JBL's sitting on the meter bridge (next to the Auratone 5C's, those are JBL 4310's, I believe.

Yes, those are a set of my JBL 4310's.... At that time I owned three pair's of 4310's. And I wore them out!!! When I sent them in to JBL for repair, they came back with 4311 parts in them and didn't sound at all like my cherished 4310's!!!

I have never been a big fan of the JBL 4311....

Bruce

[abell1234]

I just wanted to say thank you bruce for sharing. One of the best threads I've read.

[Harvey Gerst]

Originally Posted by Bruce Swedien

Yes, those are a set of my JBL 4310's.... At that time I owned three pair's of 4310's. And I wore them out!!! When I sent them in to JBL for repair, they came back with 4311 parts in them and didn't sound at all like my cherised 4310's!!!

I have never been a big fan of the JBL 4311....

Bruce

The 4311's were an abomination. Incidentally, if you wanna know what happened to one of your SM7's, I have it - with the Dymo label still intact.

[Bruce Swedien]

Originally Posted by lane thaw

Bruce, how come you didn't set the speakers on fire when I was doing my session?

Love,

Lane the Pain

Lane....

I didn't want to because they were my speakers!!!

Gearslutz All....

I just Produced and Mixed Lane's new Album ... All I can say is "HOLY COW"!!!! It is absolutely fantastic!!!!

It is by LANE THAW And is titled "TOKYO BELLE"....

Be sure and check it out....

Bruce Swedien

[Bruce Swedien]

Originally Posted by Harvey Gerst

The 4311's were an abomination. Incidentally, if you wanna know what happened to one of your SM7's, I have it - with the Dymo label still intact.

Harvey....

Please - - - I want that mike back!!!! I have four others that I had during that time.... But - I want that one back!!!

We have to talk!!!

Bruce Swedien

[Bruce Swedien]

Originally Posted by Bruce Swedien

Lane....

I didn't want to because they were my speakers!!!

Gearslutz All....

I just Produced and Mixed Lane's new Album ... All I can say is "HOLY COW"!!!! It is absolutely fantastic!!!!

It is by LANE THAW And is titled "TOKYO BELLE"....

Be sure and check it out....

Bruce Swedien

By the way Gearslutz - Be sure and check it out.... Means BUY ONE OR MORE AND THEN PLAY IT ALL THE WAY THROUGH!!!!

Bruce

[Snatchman]

Aww man..! When I read Mr. Swedien's responses to the questions here, makes you all excited! Sorta like when someone is telling a ghost story to a group of children. Makes you just sit and pay attention! So...I can only imagine having the opportunity and pleasure with working with him in person! Thanks alot Mr. Swedien for sharing......

[Harvey Gerst]

Originally Posted by Bruce Swedien

Harvey....

Please - - - I want that mike back!!!! I have four others that I had during that time.... But - I want that one back!!!

We have to talk!!!

Bruce Swedien

Geez, Bruce, don't tell me this really is the "Thriller mic". I bought it from Fletcher, and you can have it for whatever I paid for it. I didn't even know it was one of yours till it arrived and I saw your name on it.

If it is the "Thriller" mic, it belongs with you, not me.

[Bruce Swedien]

Originally Posted by Harvey Gerst

Geez, Bruce, don't tell me this really is the "Thriller mic". I bought it from Fletcher, and you can have it for whatever I paid for it. I didn't even know it was one of yours till it arrived and I saw your name on it.

If it is the "Thriller" mic, it belongs with you, not me.

Harvey......

PM me your mailing address..... Your check is in the mail!!!!!

Bruce Swedien

[Watersound]

I met Bruce at the Hit factory in NYC a few years back during a J-Lo seesion and he filled me in on early reflection technique over a dinner break. I've been using it ever since with great success on all sorts of things in the mix. He is truly a wealth of knowledge and one of the most humble, good people you'll ever meet in this industry. Thanks Bruce for all of the information you share- you are helping to inspire the next generation of producers and engineers!

John

[Harvey Gerst]

Originally Posted by Bruce Swedien

Harvey......

PM me your mailing address..... Your check is in the mail!!!!!

Bruce Swedien

LOL, where have I heard that one before?

But I'll box it up and get it out to you.

[minus-sounds.com]

I got "Thriller" on vinyl here in Greece, when it first came out when I was a kid, and I still have it. Although musically I have passed on to other things, I still enjoy to have a listen to it; because it is a masterpiece, what ever you like the artist or not.

This is one of the best threads ever!
Thank you Bruce.

[dlmorley]

Originally Posted by Harvey Gerst

Geez, Bruce, don't tell me this really is the "Thriller mic". I bought it from Fletcher, and you can have it for whatever I paid for it. I didn't even know it was one of yours till it arrived and I saw your name on it.

If it is the "Thriller" mic, it belongs with you, not me.

Very honourable of you Harvey!
Respect

However I'll trade you for a SM57 that was once used by Milli Vanilli

[Bruce Swedien]

Originally Posted by Watersound

I met Bruce at the Hit factory in NYC a few years back during a J-Lo seesion and he filled me in on early reflection technique over a dinner break. I've been using it ever since with great success on all sorts of things in the mix. He is truly a wealth of knowledge and one of the most humble, good people you'll ever meet in this industry. Thanks Bruce for all of the information you share- you are helping to inspire the next generation of producers and engineers!

John

John and all Gearslutz in Attendence....

Here is how I feel about recording a choir and how the early reflections and balance in the room can add a great deal to your mike technique.... And how using a minimal mike technique is the absolute best....

Of course, it helps to have a really good room to record in....

In these classic recordings that I have done with Michael Jackson, I put the choir in a circle about 30 feet in diameter around two microphones so that the singers are about 15 feet away from the mics. I will move the choir members farther away from or closer to the mics if the balance needs help, and from that point on, the room does all the mixing.

Of course I have the choir standing (not sitting) and the mics are placed between four and five feet high, just near mouth height. Once you have the balance of harmonies, and vocal timbres set, the room really does all the work. From this point on, if you can find the red button, all you have to do is put tapes on the machine and sit back and listen.

Some engineers would use the mics set to cardioid for the “X-Y” technique. What happens when you use them in cardioid pick-up pattern is that you basically end up with a directional microphone system.

The reason that I use the mics in bi-directional polar pattern for “X-Y”, is that primarily what I am trying to achieve, is to get the arrival time of the sound from the sound source to hit the two capsules at as close to the same moment in time as possible. This way there is little phase difference for any given frequency in the output of the two mikes. As a result you will get a dense, wide feeling of a very unified choral sound. Of course the sonic image that you get has almost no left/right intensity.

Because of the fact that there are very few phase problems, this technique makes the most incredible mono for monophonic broadcast that you have ever heard in your life. In addition, I have also always had the feeling that by using these microphones set in bi-directional polar pattern, there will not be any off-axis coloration. Off-axis coloration is a distortion of frequency response, that gets progressively greater, as the arrival angle of the sound increases. This type of distortion would be the greatest with the mikes set for cardiod polar pattern. As an additional bonus with this technique, I think that the acoustics of the room, and particularly the early reflections from the sound source are heard very accurately by the mikes, and thus preserved in their natural order.

Here’s something to remember; this microphone approach doesn’t allow you to do any remixing or rebalancing of the “X-Y” stereo image, so you have to go for your balance while you are recording. I have always felt that this is good mental discipline.

Although proximity effect does also apply to bi-directional polar pattern, it is not nearly as exaggerated as in cardioid so you won’t have one mic with more proximity effect than the other, emphasizing the low end a little more or whatever, thus distorting the stereo image. It does take a little bit of experimenting, but this microphone technique will very definitely hear the source as it sounds in the studio. Usually just playing back a take for the choir, will let them hear what parts need to be made louder or softer.

The bi-directional polar pattern “X-Y” or “Co-incident Pair” microphone technique is decidedly forgiving as far as balance is concerned, so if the music you are recording is in balance in the studio, then it will go to tape in balance.

Bruce Swedien

[Harvey Gerst]

Originally Posted by dlmorley

Very honourable of you Harvey!
Respect

However I'll trade you for a SM57 that was once used by Milli Vanilli

Nah, it's just the right thing to do.

I was never big on all that "this was used by..." crap. I still have Mark Linnett's SM7 that was used by the Beach Boys. And I gave Jimi Hendrix back his "Burns of England" Strat, 'cuz it was a piece of shit to play and wouldn't stay in tune.

Unless I actually have Michael Jackson here in my studio, with Bruce engineering, it's just another SM7 to me. I'll never get out of it what Bruce got. And, like Bruce, we're both members of the "Old Farts" club, so "doing the right thing" is kinda inbred.

[Harvey Gerst]

Originally Posted by Bruce Swedien

I will move the choir members farther away from or closer to the mics if the balance needs help, and from that point on, the room does all the mixing.

Bruce Swedien

Does that include putting that one super-loud high soprano in the next room? Every choir seems to have one that sticks out like a sore thumb. I've even gone so far as to have them lay out during the choir recordings, and then track them separately. And why are they all under 5'4"?

[dlmorley]

Originally Posted by Harvey Gerst

Nah, it's just the right thing to do.

I was never big on all that "this was used by..." crap. I still have Mark Linnett's SM7 that was used by the Beach Boys. And I gave Jimi Hendrix back his "Burns of England" Strat, 'cuz it was a piece of shit to play and wouldn't stay in tune.

Unless I actually have Michael Jackson here in my studio, with Bruce engineering, it's just another SM7 to me. I'll never get out of it what Bruce got.

I tend to agree that just having the gear won't change how someone sounds (and this is a good thing), but still, a nice gesture towards Bruce who I also have to offer my total respect too for being here and being so open. So many great sounding records in his back catalogue..the George Benson stuff, Quincy, the soundtrack to Color Purple (I believe?) etc
Bruce

[Harvey Gerst]

Originally Posted by dlmorley

So many great sounding records in his back catalog..the George Benson stuff.

Bruce

I thought that was Al Schmitt who did George Benson?

[Harvey Gerst]

As a sidelight to this whole thread, when the Jacksons moved to Hollywood from Gary, Indiana, they lived on the northwest corner of Hollywood Blvd. and Queens Road. I lived on the southeast corner of that intersection. I visited them a couple of times.

I also designed the Acoustic Control amps that they used early in their career.

It really is a very small world.

[Bruce Swedien]

Originally Posted by Harvey Gerst

I thought that was Al Schmitt who did George Benson?

My old pal Al Schmitt did many albums with George Benson.... All great sounding, I might add.

I did one album with George Benson . It sounds quite nice.
_________________________________________________________________
George Benson Album: "Give Me The Night"
Qwest/Warner
Records Singles: "Give Me The Night"
"Love times Love"
_________________________________________________________________

Bruce Swedien

P.S. I must mention the fact that Al Schmitt is three years older than I....

[Jules]

For those that didn't already know it there are 5 pages of gearslutz Q&A with Bruce here http://www.gearslutz.com/board/bruce-swedien/
hitt