Beatles (EMI) Altec compressor

[BrianK]

For Your Information:

Many of you may be aware of the current online auction offering schematics and information involving EMI-modified Altec compressors. The seller claims that these modifications will transform an ordinary Altec into the same model used by the Beatles at Abbey Road. As authors of the upcoming book on the recording techniques of the Beatles and EMI recording gear, several people have asked us for our opinion on the matter and whether it is worth the amount of money it has currently reached. So, to answer your questions and concerns:

During the many years of research on the book, we have extensively studied the EMI Altecs. We have used them, and we have had the opportunity to thoroughly examine several of the units inside and out. We have also seen the EMI files concerning these compressors and the extensive modifications carried out to convert them into an "EMI compressor". We feel that we know as much detail about these units - probably more - than anyone in the world.

From our work we can tell you that it appears there are several IMPORTANT features of these compressors not included in the mods being offered for sale - features used daily by the Abbey Road staff when working on Beatles records. These are significant mods and very obvious to one who has dealt with and examined them. We are unaware of the exact contents of the auction paperwork, but do feel it inaccurate to say "this is THE mod" when it is missing several key components of the units. Not knowing exactly what the seller is offering, we cannot even vouch for the accuracy of what IS included. At best, we feel that the information offered should be considered a "partial" mod. There are other errors and claims in the auction text that demonstrate that the seller lacks the entire story of the Altec compressors at EMI. This is not to suggest that there is any deception at hand - we are sure his intentions are good, and he admits to having come by the information second-hand. But there are clearly things missing from and/or wrong with this auction which keep it from truly being what it claims.

When the book comes out, it will be obvious to everyone that there is more necessary for the EMI mods than what is being offered in this auction. Hope that helps...
Brian Kehew and Kevin Ryan

[Bob Olhsson]

When I visited the EMI London Studio in 1968, there were a LOT of different compressors floating around in addition to the one built into in every channel strip.

Suggesting "the Beatles used compressor x" is just about as big a crock as I can think of because they actually used just about every kind available. The irony is that everybody I talked to HATED the sound of the compression but they put up with it because they hated the sound of tape hiss even more when they were doing multi-generation 4 track production.

[Poutine]

Interesting story

The reproduced session documentation found in "The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions" by Mark Lewisohn, seems to indicate a limited use of compression; referring mostly to Altec and Fairchild, as I recall -

I'd look forward to any clarification of this general issue, as well as the specific cct details of the modded Altecs used - (and they're current availability)

Pax Bob O's distaste for certain compression units - as he mentions in that interview from where was it - Tape Op? it'd be interesting to speculate on how those records would have sounded if the engineers had low noise analog or digital recording systems, and could eschew compression if they were only using it to get a better s.n.
Would many of us be thinking and working differently today?
Would Revolver sound the same, or would Geoff Emerick still have made Ringo sound that way?

[BrianK]

Hopefully the book will explain a lot about this topic - there were VERY few options available in those days, in any studio. If anyone has different information, please let us know.

Most people do know the basics of what the Beatles used, yet there are some surprises and misconceptions. Eventually, we hope the book will clear some of these up.

As the people who created those records have been very pleasantly startled by many of our discoveries - we feel that any engineer or producer will find (literally) hundreds of things they never knew about recording the Beatles albums...

[Bob Olhsson]

Originally posted by Poutine

Would Revolver sound the same, or would Geoff Emerick still have made Ringo sound that way?

John Lennon was no doubt off the deep end of mangling sounds. Still the folks I talked to thought it would have sounded VERY different if they'd even had the 8-track gear I saw. One or two instruments at a time is a LOT of 4-track generations.

[skip bitmin]

Originally posted by BrianK
Hopefully the book will explain a lot about this topic - there were VERY few options available in those days, in any studio. If anyone has different information, please let us know.

Most people do know the basics of what the Beatles used, yet there are some surprises and misconceptions. Eventually, we hope the book will clear some of these up.

As the people who created those records have been very pleasantly startled by many of our discoveries - we feel that any engineer or producer will find (literally) hundreds of things they never knew about recording the Beatles albums...

I can't wait till this book comes out,what a great idea!
Many thanks.

[Poutine]

Originally posted by Bob Olhsson
John Lennon was no doubt off the deep end of mangling sounds. Still the folks I talked to thought it would have sounded VERY different if they'd even had the 8-track gear I saw. One or two instruments at a time is a LOT of 4-track generations.

More Abbey Road, and less Rubber Soul / Revolver?

Still, I think a lot of the small format 3 & 4 track productions from that era more than stand the test of time, and are hallmarks of pop: Although it's frequently the case that the insider always remembers the frustrations of the process, and hears the "seams" in the record, to the rest of us, the stuff that guys like you did is magic -
For me anyway, it's the combination of just the right amount of "raw sweat" in the performances, along with the "laterna magica" of the studio.
I'm always struck by the fact that young musicians and engineers so often will cite those records without any prompting from anyone. I think that says something.

[BrianK]

Well said Poutine, I like that bit about young people citing those records - they have no nostalgia, for or against technique or the times. They just like what they like.

[Poutine]

Originally posted by BrianK
Well said Poutine, I like that bit about young people citing those records - thew have no nostalgia, for or against technique or the times. They just like what they like.

You're so right about the abscence of nostalgia: they're getting the stuff second hand, in many cases after growing up hearing nothing but "how great the 60's/70's were" from their boomer parents (who have now become their own parents, lamenting the death of good music), and yet they'll still gravitate to a lot of that stuff like bees to honey...

Which is why I think it's so important that efforts to fully document that era - Abbey Road, Motown, Stax, Goldstar, Hi, Olympic, etc. etc. and the HUGE cultural memory that folks who did that stuff possess, be made.
Guys like Tom Dowd come along once a generation, if at all...
We leave things behind so fast, with hardly any collective memory for what's valuable, because it's all considered disposable popular culture: Well, if somebody doesn't make sure this knowledge is kept alive, we're gonna look pretty dumb in a couple hundred years.

[k-line]

Originally posted by BrianK
Hopefully the book will explain a lot about this topic - there were VERY few options available in those days, in any studio. If anyone has different information, please let us know.

Most people do know the basics of what the Beatles used, yet there are some surprises and misconceptions. Eventually, we hope the book will clear some of these up.

As the people who created those records have been very pleasantly startled by many of our discoveries - we feel that any engineer or producer will find (literally) hundreds of things they never knew about recording the Beatles albums...

When will the book be "For sale"?? I`ve been checkin`your website for over a year now, but there`s no news...
Would be a perfect christmasgift for gearslutz like us!!!

[Bob Olhsson]

Originally posted by Poutine

For me anyway, it's the combination of just the right amount of "raw sweat" in the performances, along with the "laterna magica" of the studio.

The BIG difference WAS the sweat.

When they were doing a live bounce on a Beatles 4 track song, the engineer and the performers HAD to BOTH get it right at the same time unless they wanted to be very embarrassed.

Technology has taken that kind of pressure to perform off. This in turn changed both the amount and the type of performance ability required.

[Poutine]

Originally posted by Bob Olhsson
The BIG difference WAS the sweat.

When they were doing a live bounce on a Beatles 4 track song, the engineer and the performers HAD to BOTH get it right at the same time unless they wanted to be very embarrassed.

Technology has taken that kind of pressure to perform off. This in turn changed both the amount and the type of performance ability required.

Boy, tell me about it!

I miss the smell of 2" and doing funk/r'nb tracks with nary a click or grid in sight: post midnight, after the session players got off a gig

nothing like doing band puches on the multi, or cutting 2" to make you appreciate a good anti-perspirant!!!

[isa215]

looking forward to seeing this book for sure.


re: Altecs

The altec vari-mus that I've come across (mainly 436s) are as simple as simple gets as far as I can tell - so I'm not sure what mods could or should be done to them (obviously you can try mod'ing to get variable attack, release etc. although the 436C had variable release & threshold)

I know people who've tried to get faster attack times by simply swapping RC values (and failed miserably!) - truth is, imo they're simply not that fast.

Definitely keen to see the info in this book re: the EMI mods.