Recording - February 2012 - 16

requires being creative. It’s easy to use a plug-in, but there’s nothing like the sound of the real thing. Then again, these days in 2011 the best analog gear can be compatible with the best digital. I’ve set out to find a seamless way to combine the best of these two worlds, and I think I’ve got it. One has to adapt. Use the best of analog, tube equipment, and the best of the digital. I started working with Jimi after his first single, “Hey Joe”. Before that, Jimi and Chas were unhappy with their working conditions, but once at Olympic they felt much better. Chas was the guiding light, he encouraged Jimi to write, which he hadn’t done, he had only played cover songs. Jimi responded beautifully, they sat up nights working on songs, and when Jimi came to Let’s talk plug-ins. Waves appears to me to be the best plug-in company, the sonic quality of its products is amazing. We’ve just launched the MPX plug-in, the third in my Eddie Kramer Collection. I started off with emulation of the Helios console that I used to record Hendrix, The Beatles, and The Stones. We’ve also got the Pye limiter and then the Ampex tape machine. I use these plug-ins in combination with analog gear. How do you work with tape and transfers to digital while maintaining sonic integrity? When I record contemporary groups, I record on multitrack tape, but at 15 ips, that has the punch, the bump at the bottom end. I don’t like the sound of 30 ips, it sounds wimpy to me. Then I transfer to Pro Tools at 24 bit / 96 kHz, using Burl Audio converters, the best for Rock ‘n Roll, and I mix on an analog console, I don’t like the digital ones. Then I use a lot of my analog outboard gear, and from there I send the signal back to tape, and from the tape machine’s output again through the Burl converters back to Pro Tools. A signal chain of analog > digital > analog > digital—I think the results speak for themselves. Let’s talk about your work with the Beatles. I only worked with them twice, to record “All You Need Is Love” and “Baby You’re A Rich Man”. I remember that at the time they couldn’t get into Abbey Road and were looking for another studio that was cutting-edge, and Olympic was such an independent studio. It wasn’t attached to a particular label, like Abbey Road was to EMI, and Decca and Philips had their own studios. Olympic had a terrific reputation for great gear. When the Beatles chose Olympic I was thrilled, because, well, they were The Beatles! It was like working with royalty... I enjoyed my time with them very much. I remember them as being very pleasant, professional and disciplined.

The list of artists with whom you’ve worked is not only huge but varied. What’s it like to work with Hendrix who used all that distortion, then years later with Anthrax, who also use distortion but in a much different genre? There are some similarities. The truth is that I don’t think anyone has been such a master of using distortion for tone and color as Jimi was. Anthrax and such bands use distortion in more modern styles, as an extension of what Jimi had come up with. What advice can you give to those who are looking to improve their lowbudget home recordings? One has to know the basics. If you don’t know how to record analog, don’t even bother, you’re gonna be screwing yourself. You have to have great grounding. You have to know where to put the microphone, but, even before that, before anything else, ask yourself if the song is good. If not, forget it. Then ask yourself, can the band play, or the individual? They have to be able to play well, in tune, and with good time without a click—click annoys me. It stumps the feel. Sure, quite a few drummers have learned to play with a click and pull the time ahead or behind the beat, it’s a technique that can be learned, but not many do it well. Let’s say you’re somebody who has some gear at home and wants to record a band. Where? In a box? Not good. Find a cheap studio with an old tape machine, place the mics in the right spots, record to tape if you can, and if that’s too expensive, at least use great mic pres. Make sure the musicians can hear themselves and each other and that they can play together. Don’t record one instrument at a time, it kills the vibe. I want the energy of a band that plays together, where they see and hear one another, that’s the sound I want. That’s the raw inspiration I’m after. But it’s a matter of practice to play the instrument to the point of being able to express yourself with subtlety, intensity and clear emotion. What’s your opinon about voices, have they become better or worse? The vocal performances suffer from the “we can fix it in Auto-Tune” syndrome. It’s a terrible excuse. Learn how to sing, learn to play in tune and in time and with great feeling; I’d prefer to record a performance where the execution is a bit sloppy, but with lots of feeling and emotion, rather than one that’s perfect but sounds like it’s coming from a computer. How did you get to record with Led Zeppelin? I was fortunate to have known Jimmy Page since early in his career. I remember being the assistant engineer on a session in the early ’60 where Jimmy Page did an overdub on a Kinks single. Then in ’67

the studio, he was very prepared, knowing exactly the sound he wanted for each part. Chas would say to us, “All right, lads, the rules are—there are no rules”. For us engineers that meant the green light for experimentation, to try anything to expand the sound, so that’s what we did. Having learned the trade in the analog days, do you think today’s generation is at a disadvantage because of the ease and convenience of digital? It’s true that analog tape imparts a certain sound, and the limited track count
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RECORDING FEBRUARY 2012

Recording - February 2012

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