How to Make Your Recording Sound Like the 1950s

[@Mario_DiSanto]

What do you think? Did it sound like a recording from the 50s? Song Link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bKKcn6aZlLZpq68 ~Chapters~ 0:00 - Introduction/background 0:55 - Track Quantity/Live Room Setup 3:59 - Microphone Selection 5:48 - Outboard Equipment (Pre-Amp, Compression, Effects) 8:37 - Editing (Splicing, Overdubbing, Bouncing) 11:13 - Talent in the Room 13:52 - Embrace Imperfection 15:16 - Song Excerpt (Pretty Girl) 16:03 - Last Comments

[@epicgamer9766]

I think it does! great stuff!

[@noeqplease]

You should listen a little bit more to 1950s records. For your vocal, you need to enunciate better, that was a big part of their performances. Sibilance was an issue then as it is now... so watch your plosives and sibilants, and the EQ on the vocal. Vocals were also WAY out front.

[@Mario_DiSanto]

@@noeqplease Thanks Nicholas I appreciate the input. I think you are absolutely correct with your assessment. I should have used a better example of a song for this video as the song itself isn't exactly "50s" sounding by any means. Thanks for watching!

[@GoodnightIrieMon]

You did a great job. I would only say that you left out the most critical aspect of the recording: the source/material. For example: Though mass produced in the early 50’s, the electric bass really isn’t commonly heard on 50’s recordings. Though hard to believe today, in the 50s the electric bass was considered a novelty. An upright bass would have served the purpose much better. I know you’re trying your best with what you have on hand -which was your main point. Guitarists love distortion but in the 50s, that was largely avoided. Not to say no recordings had it, just that it wasn’t as common then. Your recorded track came close but the presence of electric bass in addition to the more modern rock-like rhythm guitar strumming made me mentally place your track in the early-mid 60s. Overall, you nailed it.

[@Mario_DiSanto]

@@GoodnightIrieMon Mr. Ninja, thank you very much for you feedback I greatly value your input. I totally agree with your analysis of the sound as well. The biggest regret I have from making this video is not choosing a better source material to test this recording method with. The truth is I recorded the song presented in this video months before I had the idea of making this video, so I didn't think a lot of the small details through. I listen to A LOT of 60s garage rock so the influence there is very obvious with my guitar playing and song structure. I am considering doing a redux to this video where I make two big changes. First being the song I would record would be much more 50s style (probably do the standard "Doo-Wop" chord progression). And secondly (and more importantly) I would record the song using my two track tape machine and record each track individually using the "sound on sound" method used at the time. I'd record the drums on one track first. Then play guitar along with my drum track and record both sounds onto the second track. Then play bass along with the second track and record that onto the first track.. etc etc, I think you get the point. This would actually be how it would be done in the 50s rather than using a 16 track machine. I have a list of like 2393 other video ideas I want to make before then but I'll get there eventually! Cheers, Mario

[@adamrichards3174]

In the 50s, unless they had major label money, most studios were still mono. Sun records being a prime example of this. Nearly all of their recordings from their heyday were recorded with a handful of mics, mixed live, and recorded to two mono Ampex tape machines (one being used to feedback the signal to the other for their signature slap back echo). Even major labels like RCA didnt usually bother with recording rock n roll in stereo until well into the 60s.

[@Mario_DiSanto]

Absolutely correct! Sun records is always a fascinating studio to learn about. I will add that even though some studios were "capable" of doing stereo mixes in the late 50s and early 60s, it wasn't worth the effort just yet as a vast majority of playback systems were monoaural (AM radio being the glaring example). It wasn't until Hi-Fi home systems became popular where stereo playback was even a possibility. Thanks for commenting, Mario

[@DarkSideofSynth]

Was about to say that.

[@larryfine7316]

I had mono once it was awful

[@lordofthemound3890]

@@larryfine7316I prefer mono if I’m listening with headphones. A little stereo separation is okay, too much separation gives me a headache.

[@larryfine7316]

Thus isn't what you're talking about but some songs/bands are mixed in a way you could with an old stereo pan left and hear bass drums pan right hear lead and drums or something say the band slayer or the Beatles. Yea I make silly comments but cheers for great subject and musicianship. Thank you again

[@TempleOfUtopia]

The best thing about this video is that you're teaching people how to set up real analog recorders and really simulate an old studio, most videos out there are telling people to use plugins which is so unoriginal and dumb

[@Mario_DiSanto]

Ain't no fun in plugins!

[@robbytheremin2443]

I was born in the 50s and I'm also a musician and a retired engineer. Like others have said, it does sound closer to 60s music, but I don't think that's a problem. In fact, it reminded me of early Jefferson Airplane and I really liked it. It also earned you a subscriber. 👍

[@Mario_DiSanto]

Robby, it's an honor to be compared to Jefferson Airplane. Only thing I may be missing is Grace Slick's vocal pipes! Thanks for watching. Mario

[@ysguys]

Just realized that I’ve had this video saved since around when it came out, only to realize it’s you. I saw you play live at the Sevencrest in Teaneck NJ. My band Eighty played that night too. Your set was awesome.

[@Mario_DiSanto]

Wow man cool! I remember you gus playing too. Small world

[@TheRudySchwartzProject]

This is really well done, Mario. Very nice job. Your recording actually sounds more early-mid 60s than 50s. You should make up a fake band name, Photoshop a fake 45rpm label, and stick it somewhere on social media as an obscure 60s garage band record. I suspect it would fool a lot of people. I'm surprised you didn't mention Joe Meek. That guy was doing some weird shit in his recording studio before he went nuts and killed his landlady.

[@Mario_DiSanto]

Thanks Joe I appreciate the feedback. You are spot on with the sound being more 60s, in retrospect I should have specifically went for a 50s style tune for this experiment. Funny you mention Joe Meek too, a buddy of mine just turned me onto him a couple months ago and I have been subsequently obsessed since. I love when an artist creates something that has never been heard before (precisely why your music stuck out to me); experimentation is key for a home recordist. And you may be onto something with the fake garage band 45....that's actually right up my artistic alley. May have to run amok with that idea. Cheers, Mario

[@TheRudySchwartzProject]

@@Mario_DiSanto Well, you sort of alluded to Joe Meek when you mentioned the heavier use of compression in British pop music during the 60s. I'm not a British pop historian by any stretch, but it wouldn't surprise me if he were the first to have done that. He also was extremely innovative with regard to using the ambient spaces in his flat to achieve unusual reverb effects. I assume you've heard "I Hear a New World", but there's also a jazz album he produced that's worth checking out (Moondog and Suncat Suites by Kenny Graham): kzbin.info/www/bejne/oHjJgXuCqt-Ji5o

[@Mario_DiSanto]

@@TheRudySchwartzProject Just listened through it, excellent stuff. There's so many things to learn from Joe Meek as a producer.

[@GoodnightIrieMon]

That was my impression as well. Much of the intended sonics are there but he’s performing with an obvious rock (no roll) influence. That made it sound like a lost 60s garage band and/or something you might find on the Nuggets compilation box set. Think 50s style songs and arrangements -THEN how to record it.

[@jamesknox3107]

@@Mario_DiSanto Check out Humphrey Littleton's Bad Penny Blues, engineered by Meek when he worked for EMI - good explanation in the comments of what Meek did on this recording to make it burst out of the speakers and sound so fresh. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jp-ml3iwlt53bK8.

[@elwrongo]

great song and you've nailed the sound of mid to late sixties psychedelia to my ears, fab work

[@Mario_DiSanto]

Thank you very much! Will be posting more videos like this soon. Mario

[@luismartinez6408]

he didnt write that song.

[@Alex-Defatte]

I'm a big fan of the 50's and 60's sound. You captured the rock side of it very well in Pretty Girl. Sounds great!

[@Mario_DiSanto]

Alexander, Appreciate the compliments. Mario

[@JDMacias]

If u are a fan of this music you should check my music

[@quintonamobay6]

This video was very well done! As someone who is just getting into the world of recording and mixing, it’s hard to find quality content like this that really dives into the nuances. You’ve earned yourself another well-deserved subscriber!

[@Mario_DiSanto]

Glad you found this useful Quinton. I hope the videos I have planned for the future will benefit you. Mario

[@davidrandall5743]

Thanks!

[@h.p.dominocus]

I recently wrote a song in this style and wasn't sure how to go about getting the right sound since I only have experience working in rock,metal, and prog music. This is the exact video i was looking for. Also, I can't wait to finally use my 60s era Oliver tube amp on a recording!

[@Mario_DiSanto]

That Oliver amp is going to do you just right man! Thanks for watching. Mario

[@craigshewchuk9018]

You're right about the musicianship, it's fun to get the tracks down with no cuts all the way through, it sounds the best still, get it done one take, doesn't need to be first, but one whole one. It makes a difference

[@CharlesFloyd-k7p]

Hey Mario-- great concept for a KZbin demo you have. As I am only discovering this channel now, let me say how fascinated I am with your wall of gear and sincere interest in getting a truly vintage sound in your recordings, whether or not it is 1950s or 1960s. Equally fascinating is that someone as young as you are could be so interested in the topic and so knowledgeable about it. I say that being one who was only 4 years old at the time that the Beatles appeared on Ed Sullivan in 1964. Yep. I'm old. I am a lifetime classical musician but my parents would not support a pop-rock career. Yet, I've never lost any interest in the music and the sound of the music of that time.

[@VonBieker]

Thanks for going through all the effort to pull this together - learned a lot!

[@Mario_DiSanto]

Thanks Von! It takes a lot of time throwing these together. Mario

[@damani1711]

dude you went through all the technicals and then pussied out of playing the song, play it whole and play it loud man! its good and even if it werent its a scientific demonstration of the techniques you spoke of.

[@Mario_DiSanto]

I have a link in pinned comment with the whole song. But I will keep this advice in mind for a future video. Thanks for watching. Mario

[@damani1711]

@@Mario_DiSanto well after the video i did since i was curious to hear the climax of this video! and from there i was confused because its a really great summary and it sounds good man. also, the comments rgdng "its 60s its 60s" i feel dont quite get it, shit, you could even have recorded a cover of Beyoncé - its still a 50s recording emulation.

[@BradYaeger]

I did something similar , but modeled of Sinatra's early Capitol recordings. It was a ballad , and no orchestra but the overall vibe was the goal. Didn't have access to one of the classic Neumans so I sang into a Royer ribbon mic we used for overhead. Talk about needing SERIOUS breath control! . It's fun to do this kind of thing. The limitations really push you to focus and get it right the first time instead of just fixing it later. And that energy truly transfers onto the recording

[@Mario_DiSanto]

Amen. Where can I hear this recording? Mario

[@BradYaeger]

@@Mario_DiSanto Its on my channel, "Peoples Key" . Used "In The Wee Small Hours " as a template. I even wore a suit to record!

[@Globularmotif]

Love this!! I make breakbeat driven Drum & Bass and have always struggled to find vibes that go well with Raw Breaks (I don't layer or add electronic hits) and I LOVE the vibes of 50s and 60s alternative music, the vintage sounds, tapes tubes and springs, the attitude and the rough and ready imperfections. So good! There are huge parallels imho between 50s Rockabilly and breakbeat Drum & Bass, both are driven by the rhythm section, both sound best when stripped back and simplified, both are raw and imperfect, both have an attitude that is rough and ready and sound best when driven hard into analogue gear. Love your music dude! Keep it up...!!

[@Mario_DiSanto]

Thank you and I appreciate your insight of the similarities.

[@msb8013]

I've been recording these ways for years. I kind of hope it becomes popular someday. I hope somebody finally labels my kind of genre. You can't call it bedroom music but I've recorded in a lot of bedrooms.

[@herfuzzyness]

what a wonderful video. learned a lot, and feel so inspired by how straightforward the recording process was back then. sometimes the tendency of modern music to hyper-edit feels intimidating, and i forgot it could be this simple. your point about the air in a room being a natural compressor is so helpful. and of course i love your many beatles references 💛 thank you for a wonderful lesson, looking forward to seeing more of your work! ✨🤗🌟

[@Mario_DiSanto]

You're very welcome!

[@Zergei]

Perfect timing, I have a little 50s style track to work on and after months of learning the basics I get this great video! Thank you!

[@Mario_DiSanto]

Can't wait to hear what you come up with! Any other ideas for a video let me know.

[@sonicflow]

Very insightful video..was an interesting watch. Thank you for sharing 😌😎

[@KLUNKET]

Sounds great- really great!! If I were to hear this on the radio without knowing that this was recorded in 2022, I would without question legitimately believe that this was a vintage recording- BUT, to me it sounds more like mid 1960's. Great job though, this was fantastic!

[@Mario_DiSanto]

Thank you so much I appreciate the input greatly. I agree the sound is more 60s for a lot of reasons. Keep on the look out for more similar videos in the future. Thanks Mario

[@CharlesFloyd-k7p]

I love the results (continuing from my post just a moment ago). My only request is that you include more audio examples to equal your brilliant verbal explanations. You are really onto something important here, so there's no surprise that so many thousands have also shown interest. We've edged towards "pristine" audio in computer world, and yet for all the analog-ish plugins we have, how to happily degrade audio to cleverly emulate that 1950s-1960s sound has been under explored. I wonder what plugins you use and how you use them-- or how others can use them in the absence of analog hardware. That said, there is much valuable info in so many of your other videos on the same topic with regards to vintage emulation that there is so much room for more. Bravo, dude. Keep up the good work!

[@Mario_DiSanto]

Hey! Thanks for all your comments. I don't use any plugins as I am not recording in a DAW. If I am recording digitally, I use an Alesis HD24 as an outboard unit. So all my 'effects' are done through my board. Really I think most of the "sound" comes from the approach rather than an emulation of a medium. I think the modern computer/DAW changes how people songwrite. It's a whole different approach and method. In reality, the first step to get a vintage sound for 99% of people is turn off the damn CLICK TRACK! Stop copying and pasting. Stop using samples from libraries. Use real instruments. This may seem like simple advice but I think this is really important for people to understand. I have heard very convincing simulations of a "tape sound", but none of those recordings really excited me because they tend to be lifeless. No soul. Songwriting is always king. If you wanna sound like a 50s rock artist, you gotta listen to early 50s R&B records just like the greats were. No medium or emulation is going to change that. After the ethos is figured out then the gear comes. An analog pre-amp of any sorts that you are able to push in saturation is the key. It could be tubes, a transistor, a transformer...hell even a good microphone can do it. Anyway, hopefully that was useful haha. Cheers

[@ditmarvanbelle1061]

Yes. The art of putting down 4 mics in strategic locations to somehow capture everything. Once the setup is adequate, roll tape and let the magic happen. Being GenX, I of course had an 8 track (missed the fifties by several decades) but we still caught drums on 3 channels and that was enough

[@Mario_DiSanto]

Ditmar, I have always found 3 microphones to be adequate enough for my drum sound (bass drum mic, snare mic, and overhead mic). The only thing that suffers in this setup are the toms, but you can compensate by accenting those drum strokes during your fills. This is what a good drummer should be doing anyway when playing live in a non-microphoned venue (or in a live room recording session such as this). An experienced drummer knows how to balance their volume across the whole set. A really good example of this can be seen in John Bonham's drum tracks. He only had 4 mics on his set (in the early days at least) yet you can hear the toms well in the mix. This always starts with good dynamic control by the drummer. Mario

[@larkywhite4865]

This sounded awesome. This is the closest I have heard anyone get to that 60s garage rock sound I wanna go for. Keep it up dude I would love to see more videos from ya.

[@Mario_DiSanto]

L.W., I am currently working/editing on a 1960s garage rock guitar "how-to" video that I think will be right up your alley. Keep a look out in the next week. Cheers, Mario

[@larkywhite4865]

@@Mario_DiSanto hell yeah dude! Looking forward to it. Been watching ur spring reverb videos seeing how u get that surfy kinda sound in some of ur songs. U got a cool thing going dude and ur songs are sick.

[@ronfrancois]

All of your criticisms are exactly how we felt after a session. Generally a wholly unsatisfactory process and thus the reason things are as they are today. Many steps were taken in advance to mitigate the problems. Pre-production / rehearsals were a major one. Signal to noise was a big thing. Hitting the tape at correct levels. Mixing the players by moving instruments and microphones around in the space. Deciding which instruments would be overdubbed to preserve bass and treble which would suffer in first bounce. So for instance. Vocals, bass, tamborine, claps would need extra top and bottom. And yes, at the end still a massive dissatisfaction. Unless of course you were Nat King Cole or Sinatra their records were made with no limitations and still sound excellent today.

[@liamfitzgerald7528]

I consider myself a music nerd and love recordings from the 50s and 60s. I stumbled upon your video and was skeptical when I hit play. You earned a subscriber. You have a great knowledge of vintage recordings. I hear what others are saying about your final song sounding more 60s. I'll have to listen to the whole thing in headphones to decide for myself. It could be that it was the style of the song and not the recording. Either way, I loved the quick clip. Cool tune, nice sound.

[@Mario_DiSanto]

Thanks for comment

[@DarkSideofSynth]

Regardless whether it's really accurate '50s or not: a) it's a nice song b) you did your best with what you know and you have There's a video here on YT somewhere (maybe by Sound On Sound) about a modern studio in the US with '50s gear where bands go recording in that style and attitude. Look it up, if you haven't already.

[@mrpres17]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/lYKQpJaursehppI I've looked it up for you

[@DarkSideofSynth]

@@mrpres17 Thanks. I simply almost never post links, even YT ones, because the comment might end up in spam or even deleted. Sometimes, it happens, others it does not...

[@mrpres17]

@@DarkSideofSynth I'd do it anyway, you never know who you might help

[@DarkSideofSynth]

@@mrpres17 That's true. Encouraging people to actively look, instead of always being spoon-fed is also good, though :))

[@tangibleblockofwisdom6386]

Sound-on-sound. Different from overdubbing in the contemporary sense. This is outputting mono onto mono, deliberately* causing tape track bleed, harmonic distortion, and, in the case of Spector, adding reverbs in the process (these were usually subterranean concrete rooms, within the studio, with a microphone and speaker to achieve and record the reflections) and essentially, all sense of depth was created by using polarity inversion, aka phase shifted 180 degrees, also variations on how far the degrees were shifted between instruments. This is now known as mid/side. Middle signal is + and side is - or 180 degrees shifted, or just off. Also these guys were masters of mastering, using these techniques. But sound on sound & phase shifting is very underused, and is how a mono signal achieved depth in the Z axis (inward or away from the listener) from a single speaker signal. Cheers!

[@Mario_DiSanto]

I have really been wanting to try a mid-side recording. The layout of my living room really makes things difficult for something like that. I also have been recently mixing my all my songs in mono so I haven't had a need for a stereo image track.

[@tangibleblockofwisdom6386]

@@Mario_DiSanto try it man - all you need is a ribbon mike and a cardioid. The ribbon puts out the figure-8 pattern / the two lobes, so you get a front and back (one of which is usually more dominant as i remember) which will give you the room depth / 'side' channel, then the cardioid puts out the centre image or 'mid'. Should work in any room. Even some non-ribbon mics will work, as long as it's switchable-pattern with a figure-8 option.

[@gobigrey9352]

Sounded good to me, kind of 50's grunge style. I tried to emulate that room sound on the lead guitar on my song "One Oh One" on my channel. I used a little Fender Champ clone in my bathroom and mic'd it out in the hallway. Also used a spring reverb pedal and light reverb in my DAW. Thought it came out pretty well.

[@jonesvox1]

Sgt. Pepper was recorded on two synchronized four track tape machines. One track was sacrificed to contain a 50hz tone to allow the syncing. Liked your video 👍🏼

[@Mario_DiSanto]

I believe the only time they synchronized two machines was for the recording on "A Day in the Life". The rest of the album did utilize two machines but this was for bouncing purposes. Meaning the tracks were bounced from one of the 4-track machines to the other 4-track machine. Quite an impressive feat considering I always feel like I am running outta space on my 16-track! Thanks for watching, Mario

[@gulfcoastguitars2842]

When I was a kid, my dad would gig with just his Fender Jazzmaster, a Fender Deluxe Reverb and a Shure PE55. The Jazzmaster would be plugged into the Vibrato channel of the amp, played clean with a slight reverb. The Shure PE55 would be run on the dry channel of the Deluxe Reverb... being a high impedance mic, there was no problem with this setup. This was the 60's and 70's... I ended up with that gear, and still use it from time to time ... I no longer gig, either, and I never did use that gear when I did, but it does sound good in my music room. Definitely a unique sound, and yeah, much like you were saying about air being a good compressor. Recording from across the room sounds better than putting the mic up against the amp.

[@Mario_DiSanto]

Awesome story about your Dad! Sounds like cool dude. I have preformed the same exact way in my solo acts. I love the sound of my vocals sung through a cheap mic into my Twin Reverb with the reverb cranked (is there any other way to set an amp?) Here's me playing the song from the video in this exact manner. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rmGzl2WOpZqDpLc Thanks for sharing your story, Mario

[@ryanluchuck8445]

Great job Mario! So much knowledge. Took me decades to figure out half this much.

[@Mario_DiSanto]

Thank you for the feedback Ryan!

[@RalphCastelli]

just subbed, u actually love music

[@LosFicosMusic]

Excellent job

[@trevordailey]

bro about blew my speakers out pushing those P's

[@Mario_DiSanto]

Can't wait to say "peter piper picked a peck of pickled peppers how many pickled peppers did peter piper pick" in my next video. ;)

[@trevordailey]

@@Mario_DiSanto Hell yeah

[@jbonillaguitar]

that final recording sounded like Night Beats 👍. More 60's psych than 50s rock in sound and style imo

[@Mario_DiSanto]

Just checked out that band. Their levitation session was amazing. Mario

[@andriusl2163]

yeah, as Mario said, amazing. Good tip Taco

[@andriusl2163]

Hey thanks Mario, I really enjoyed your insight, and effort in producing this.

[@Mario_DiSanto]

Andrius, you're welcome. Super glad people are enjoying this information. Mario

[@davidflanagan7108]

Sounds more like the Stooges. And that’s a good thing. Would really like to hear more of your original material using this approach. Keep up the good work. You’ve convinced me to subscribe to this channel.

[@LA7Rose]

This was a really well done, informative video! Loved your thoughts on Limiters in the studio and how they make your more creative.

[@amibeingdetained3417]

Great video, love the concept and run down. There was only one thing that didn’t rub me the right way and it was what you said about compression: in a closed mic situation where you end up getting MORE peaks, that would be less so like compression and more like maximization. With an open mic situation, you saying that the sound is more even Sounds a bit more like compression. In other words I think that a more focused sound wouldn’t automatically mean a “more compressed” one. Either way, love what you did here and I hope you can one day do one on 1970s recordings!! There’s nothing like that hard hitting American vocal mic grit that you got out of cheaper 1970s recordings!! (A good example of what I mean is Gil Scott Heron’s “Lady Day and John Coltrane)

[@amibeingdetained3417]

Another way to describe what I was saying: I think by saying “the air would act as a natural compressor by giving you a more even response of the instrument, therefore acting as a compressor” is really the only thing I have qualms with. By not close micing, (and not recording from too far away obviously), you are in essence getting a more natural set of harmonics/frequency response from the instrument. Yeah of course you’d get peaks from close micing, and it may sound more clean, but once you say more peaks I’d say that’s the only thing holding you to that statement. Yeah, compressors remove peaks and even things out, but at the EXPENSE of the natural dynamics/frequency response of the thing being recorded. I know I’m being nit picky here hahah, but I do think it’s an important thing to keep in mind when thinking about compression!!

[@Mario_DiSanto]

Although you are being slightly nit-picky, I must contest you bring up a fair point. When I made that statement in the video I was only refering to the peaks of the signal being recorded. I wish I was able to edit videos after they were posted to KZbin so I could make clarifications like this. Although, the technical details of what you are mentioning might be a little 'too much detail' for the average viewer. I also plan on doing a similar video for the 1970s (and 1960s) so be on the lookout for those (and other recording "tutorials"). Thanks for clarifying the validity of my statement, Mario

[@jeremyalm9006]

Great job! My first thought when I heard your final mix was... Moody Blues!

[@Mario_DiSanto]

Hell yeah Jeremy. I always thought of the Moody Blues as the band to put on the radio when you are at "make-out point" with your high school sweetheart. I wrote this song originally to win a girl over that I had a crush on so it feels like a fitting comparison. Cheers, Mario

[@savingsoul]

Good information, I feel like 50s and 60 recordings sometimes had certain vocal or instrument on one speaker for a reason other than multi tracking

[@Mario_DiSanto]

Frank, in the early days of multitrack recording when 2 track (or 3 track) machines were common, it was sometimes standard for the entire band to record live on track one, then record vocals/lead instruments/overdubs onto the second track. During the mixdown process these tracks were sometimes kept separate from each other and put on the left/right channels. The most talked about example is the early era Beatles stereo recordings. At this point in time, stereo recording/playback wasn't standard yet. Most playback systems were monoaural. AM radio, car speakers, early consumer end-turntables, etc. these were all monoaural. As folks started to get Hi-Fi systems in the household and cars with two speakers in the back, stereo playback quickly became "standard". Mario

[@savingsoul]

@@Mario_DiSanto makes sense ,I’ve been wanting to get a reel to reel to tracks vocals can you recommend something simple but good , I usually use a Tascam 4 tracks with all tracks armed then dump them back into protools and the vocals sound much better.

[@Mario_DiSanto]

@@savingsoul Depends on your budget. My first advice is the best tape machine is the cheapest (but working) one you can find. Unless you are lookin' to spend high dollar I don't think shelling out a decent amount of cash is going to achieve the goal you want. What kind of 4 track do you have?

[@FreshAir4]

Fellow “younger” tape-head here, very sick vid. Only time/function i use protools for is as a “master deck”/converter. Just to get music online. First tape machine was a tascam 464 porta, recently picked up a fostex model 80, tape is taking over my life

[@Mario_DiSanto]

It'll do that to ya. I have started to amass a bunch of tape machines in my house. It's becoming a problem haha. Mario

[@FedeVicente88]

Thank you, KZbin random. When you want to, you do recommend such a good stuff like this.

[@notgonnaknowtillthen3192]

I love the Deatles too! Great video by the way, just wish I had enough space for the tape recorders and mixers tho.

[@CarlRencer]

"How to make your recording sound like the 1950s" "keep in mind throughout this whole lesson that I'm greatly generalizing the recording process". Cool man.

[@scottshields3054]

Hey I'm not sure if this would help or not, but I know that a lot of drummers who played traditional grip actually tilted their snare drums at a pretty drastic angle away from the player. That combined with rimshots where you're hitting the rim and the head at the same time will probably give you more of the snare sound you're after. I've done some experiments doing that before and it's crazy how much of a difference that can make. I like your video too.

[@Mario_DiSanto]

Scott, I really think a drum company should come up with a snare stand that has two switchable positions for the reason you are saying. I like to switch from match grip to traditional grip frequently depending on how hard hitting I want to be. It's such a pain to constantly change the angle of the snare to compensate for this. Additionally, the reason traditional grip originated goes back to the military drummer boy days where the snare drum was slung on their side (and titled) to allow for walking while playing. Absolutely nutso-in-the-butso that they used to use drummers for wartime commands! Usually young boys too. Mario

[@scottshields3054]

@@Mario_DiSanto I know some stands if you tilt them one way, then you can actually spin the top part of the stand to reverse the angle. That's how I've gotten around that in the past.

[@h.markhorton8188]

@@Mario_DiSanto better to blow someone’s ears out drumming, than kill someone with a Luger or tank.

[@pressspacetostop]

evolution of a independent musician: "get it to sound as good as we can with the few hours of studio time we have" --> "get it to sound as good as we can with free vst plugins."

[@dadadrew]

60s garage punk…you got the vibe nailed

[@meanderer06513]

Ah - that Tascam 16 track...! I almost bought one when I was in Japan in the early 80s...I wish I did!

[@Mario_DiSanto]

It's a good one for sure. Perfect for my needs despite some negative things I hear people say about 'em. Thanks for watching Dave! Mario

[@billymcguiremusic]

Had this pop up in my feed, and it's such a great video. So much info about 50s style recording, and I enjoyed the song! It sounded a bit more "recent" than the 60s, but still had some vintage vibes to it.

[@Mario_DiSanto]

Thanks for watching Billy! There will be more videos like this in the future. Mario

[@brucehartnell1475]

A couple of things; Most of the musical references and even his original music, was more based on mid 1960’s recordings. In contrast, the most professional recordings done in the 1950’s didn’t use one room mic but rather a decca tree, and the musical conductor was actually the audio engineer much more than the technician was. His interpretation of getting the sound properly done before it hits tape is correct then. This set up was definitely in use in much smaller studios, tho- he’s correct on that.

[@Mario_DiSanto]

Bruce, there are inconsistencies with this video as you mention. When I made it, I only expected 20 to 50 people MAX to watch it. (We are currently at 75k which is total bonkers to me). I am looking to do a Part II of this video where I correct some things, add more information, etc. Mario

[@brucehartnell1475]

@@Mario_DiSanto I’m sorry if I came off a bit negative; you’ve done an excellent job of understanding the approaches to the available technology at the time, and the techniques. At this very moment I’m doing a recording set up for an orchestra in a 2,500 seat theater. Scheops and Neumanns everywhere.

[@brucehartnell1475]

@@Mario_DiSanto I’m an old punk rocker myself and made a ton of records in the type of environments you’ve described. I’ve even done records at Emmitt Rhodes’ house. Great job again Mario, I’m digging what you’re doing

[@Mario_DiSanto]

@@brucehartnell1475 No offense taken Bruce. I would love to be a fly on the wall for that recording setup. I am sure I would learn more in a day than I could read in a lifetime. Mario

[@Bring_MeSunshine]

It's a bold step trying to work in this way, especially given it was just just you, no band, no engineer. When I was growing up trying to record I had to make do with cassette recording, and later 4 track cassette machines. I embraced the digital revolution, because I could multitrack record and edit, which is god-like power compared to that. I think your song sounded more 60s than 50s, just from the point of view of the musical stylings, which had a kind of garage/psychedelic vibe, more redolent of late 60's era, than the R&B tinged rock styles of the 50s, and there were quite notable leaps in the technology in just those 10 years, too. I think the tone of the instrumentation was pretty close in the low end and the lack of high end definition, but lacked the mids and upper mid definition, and higher vocal level that would have been the focus of the 50's, as a result so you tune, sounded a little distant. I'm not entirely sure how you would go about capturing more of those at source, other than just concentrate on getting it from the close vocal mic and tweaking the final. Otherwise, it was a great experiment. Even though I use digital these days, I would enjoy having the variety of tape machines and outboard devices you have to play with, looks like fun.

[@Mario_DiSanto]

Thank you for your detailed response, it is quite helpful. It is certainly a lot of fun messing around with ol' tape machines, even if I do spend a lot of time fixing most of them up to keep them running haha. It is very obvious to me why the digital-age was so easily embraced by the recording field. The maintenance alone can be a pain. The sonic advantage of recording EXACTLY what you send to the digital machine is an incredible plus as well. Cheers, Mario

[@Bring_MeSunshine]

@@Mario_DiSanto Maintenance - I know. I said I used to use Cassette machines, that's true, but at one point, my friend bought a Tascam half inch 8 track (I think it was a 38) It was a nice machine, and we used it lots but when it came to maintenance time, it was a nightmare, there were pages of info describing things that we simply had never come across, or hear of and lots of tiny adjusters underneath the casing. Probably quite straightforward once you knew, but not for us back then. Have you seen either of these on YT. The Sound on Sound one is the most detailed, but they are both interesting, just to look at the kit, kzbin.info/www/bejne/bpm5iGuGls-UgsU and kzbin.info/www/bejne/lYKQpJaursehppI Happy recording

[@RetroReminiscing]

Brilliant musical upload !

[@audiolego]

Cool channel wow. I have been listening to 50s Rockabilly on KZbin playlists. There's a lot of them that sound like Surf Batmanish rock to me

[@Mario_DiSanto]

Introducing my new band name, 'Surf Batmanish Rock".

[@mikebassy]

I subscribed to you because you know what you are talking about and talk about great stuff. Excellent jobs mate and thank you.

[@russiangoose7053]

Would love to hear this same recording style but used for punk rock. I could be wrong but I imagine punks back in the day would have been recording stuff in studios that would have been a bit out dated or limited or that they would've recorded stuff themselves using older gear. Or perhaps if it was a good studio they would've done simple mic set ups, minimal tracks and little to no effects on stuff due to it likely costing more money and time to do so. This video was super awesome and informative to watch, it's exactly what I've been looking for honestly. I have a partially working 2 track solid state reel to reel tape recorder I've been wanting to put to use and this might just get me in the mood to do it 😂 maybe you could do a 70's rock version of this? Or use the same set up but record some faster more distorted punk rock? Anyways thanks again for the awesome content I'm so glad I found your channel

[@Mario_DiSanto]

It's high time to fire up your 2 track! Glad you are diggin' the channel. There will be more like this (like the 70s video you suggested). Mario

[@stereolites4974]

Very nice video and many good perspectives!!! Thanx a lot Mario ! Best, the Stereolites

[@Mario_DiSanto]

Thank you for watching. Mario

[@billmahony2079]

Great stuff. Will watch your video again...!!!

[@Mario_DiSanto]

Thanks Bill, I appreciate the support! Cheers, Mario

[@PrismaticSpray]

I was under the impression multitrack went from 2 track straight to 4 tracks by syncing two 2 track machines / recording to both sides of one tape. Learning there were 3-track machines is maybe the strongest mandela effect ive experienced.

[@Mario_DiSanto]

As far as I am aware, the only way to synchronize two tape machines (at least back then) was to sacrifice a track on one of the tape machines to record a syncing signal to. This would then be read by the first machine and used to control the second. With that method you would only get 3 tracks if you used 2 two track machines. It is a little surprising to hear 3 track machines were popular because in today's age we only use 2 track, 4 track, 8 track, 16 track, and 24 track. All multiples of each other...well almost. So 3 sounds a little funky. Cheers, Mario

[@carlwinslow5905]

Motown had a 3 track. Kinda rare to find them today but they pop up every now and then. I worked on one many years ago.

[@Hepnotical]

3 tracks make perfect sense usage wise if you think about it… 1.left and 2.right instrumental mix and 3. vocal. That’s why the vocals always sound so huge on records from that era. They got special treatment and were the only thing with any degree of separation. Because if everything’s big and detailed… nothing is. And since most studios were still working in mono back then it also makes sense that the 2 track machine was most popular. 1. Instrumental mix 2. Vocal.

[@TheHeadbanger93]

Please do a video on how to do a 1970s style recording! It's my favorite decade and I'm dying to know for my own music.

[@Mario_DiSanto]

I will get there. Give me a little time. Mario

[@Hartlor_Tayley]

Those old Nashville records are amazing considering what they had to work with, but like you said they had real musicians.

[@timot91]

Great video man! Glad KZbin sent me to your channel.

[@Mario_DiSanto]

Thank you Timothèe. Will be putting out a lot more videos in the future. Mario

[@alexanderewing3779]

Would liked to have heard a bit more of the tune but it has, to my ears, a cool, 60's Psychedelic vibe. Interesting! Cheers A

[@Mario_DiSanto]

Alexander, You can here the full song here, kzbin.info/www/bejne/bKKcn6aZlLZpq68 Would love to hear your feedback! Mario

[@PendelSteven]

9:45 If I'm not mistaken Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was recorded on *two* 4-track recorders. Overdubbing and bouncing between the two four trackers. It cost a pretty penny, but the band had the money. so yeah. Of course other commenter's may corrrect me if I'm wrong.

[@Mario_DiSanto]

Steven you are correct they bounced between the two. Still impressive in my eyes. For the recording of "A Day in the Life" they synchronized both four tracks for a total of seven tracks. Mario

[@PaulTheSkeptic]

This is cool. I've always really liked that early 70s sound. There's something about it. The frequency range isn't as broad as it is now of course and that pocket of frequency has a sort of mysterious quality to it; for lack of a better word. It sounds to me, just a little eerie. But I know they were already doubling the vocals. I assume they had 8 tracks by then. But I'd like to learn how to get that sound. All my favorite recordings come from then.

[@Mario_DiSanto]

Thanks Paul. A really important take away I am getting from people's reaction to this video is that the method of recording is only a minor portion of the outcome's sound. 90% of people (including myself) feel this song is much more 60s era sounding. I think this is in large part because of the writing style versus recording style. The majority of the music I listen to and subsequently am influenced by is 1960s garage rock. There's no coincidence that this song sounds like 1960s garage rock. So when you say you want to get that 1970s sound it's important to keep this idea in mind before you start buying tape machines or tube amps or vintage mics, etc. Hope that makes sense, Mario

[@PaulTheSkeptic]

@@Mario_DiSanto It does make sense. And a lot of my stuff sounds like the early 70's. But I also know they have plugins that do that too. It's more about what the frequency range is to me than it is about having the right vintage equipment. It's like with the whole tonewood debate. Sorry to open that can but there it is. With a solid body guitar, I'm of the opinion that the wood you use does make a very subtle but audible difference. But nothing that you can't do with an EQ pedal. Y'know? Sure, there's a difference but it doesn't really matter with technology today. So I'd be more interested in understanding the natural compression of the 2 inch tape they used or whatever it is and replicating that with a DAW. That seems like the only way to do it anyway. If I really wanted to have a vintage 70's sound it would entail me buying a huge soundboard and thousands of dollars in doo dads and old lost gadgets. I'm but a humble truck driver who buys from Guitar Center and not some luthier who makes guitars for Aerosmith or whatever. Lol.

[@isaac10231]

Your channel is going to blow up, i am 100% certain. Keep it up.

[@joaoantoniovione484]

Amazing video! Sounds legit. I once recorded a power trio in an old furniture depot... I sticked a figure-8 mic between the bass and guitar amps. There was also a mono overhead over a 1960s set and a reversed headphone as a vocal mic. The latter sounded pretty honky on its own... then I sent it to a slap delay. All (3) mics recorded to two tracks - unfortunately I didn't have a tape machine then, but I got pretty close. IIRC flangers were at their infancy at the time - the big hurt by Miss Toni FIscher... Cheers from Brazil! Keep up

[@Mario_DiSanto]

Ohhh I bet that recording sounded so open with all the room reverb included, the drums especially if it all was captured with a single mono overhead. Isn't it so much fun setting up a live room and printing to only a couple tracks? There's so many minor choices you can make that alter the end result drastically. In my opinion that is where all the magic happens. I wish I could do more live band setups in my studio but most of the time it's just me in there. Thank you for commenting, I value your input! Mario

[@TarzanHedgepeth]

15:10 Lol!!! I loved that… crude, but true!!!

[@DJskit24]

I am the 1980s version of you, this is awesome.

[@Mario_DiSanto]

Lemme guess...80's hair metal?

[@DJskit24]

@@Mario_DiSanto Sort of a bit of everything in the studio, We use the same board model that Nirvana did bleach on, cassette and 1/2 mastering experiments and of course the amps and microphones used.

[@davidrandall5743]

Absolutely love your videos man, keep it going!

[@Mario_DiSanto]

David, thank you so much man! The "Super Thanks" is VERY much appreciated. Cheers, Mario

[@DarkSideofSynth]

Great song. Like many said, yes, it sounds more '60s than '50s but it's mostly due to the style rather than the sound & the recording. Besides, it's so hard if not even impossible, to sound like a live group being a one man band, and having to play separate parts one after the other. Well done! Quite unusual for a guy your age to long for things way before his time ;)

[@Mario_DiSanto]

If there weren't people like me (and people entertained by this video) interested in ways of the past, a lot of arts and passion would die a lonely death. This is true for a lot of my hobbies and interests. Whether its music-making, film photography, hand-tool woodworking, muscle cars, whatever the case may be I always find myself rejecting the modern norms and reverting to the "antiquated" way. That is the part that keeps it interesting for me. Thanks for watching, Mario

[@DarkSideofSynth]

@@Mario_DiSanto Preserving is good and useful. One's gotta look back to look forward. Those 'antiquated' ways force (encourage) you to think ahead, and commit. To put more work and attention BEFORE the act, and not fix everything in post. Infinite takes or shots are surely fine but knowing you only have 36 photos on your roll of film, or 4 tracks on your tape, make them count, they bring value, and let you focus on important things. Like many old videogames, which with only a few KBs made you super happy, and the gameplay mattered more than AAA games now with thousands of people to work on them, and hundreds of millions to spend, but with little soul to them. Have a great weekend!

[@Mario_DiSanto]

@@DarkSideofSynth I think you hit the nail on the head here. This is exactly why I also chose to only shoot film photography. The pictures I use to take on my digital camera were lifeless and not worth any artistic value. Shooting film makes you think twice before you snap the shutter. The end result is going to be inherently superior with this mindset. Cheers

[@jerryclegg1846]

“Emulate” is defined as “match or surpass (a person or achievement), typically by imitation.” To give it a fair “emulation” one would need a ribbon microphone like, still available, a 44Bx. Tube audio console and tape running at 15ips on an Ampex 300 or 350/351, in a studio like “the church”, or any radio station studio. Once you have the ingredients, then the talent can record, and the mixing can begin.

[@mineralman_music]

Great video broski !

[@marinoviskovic7083]

J’ai été très impressionné par votre présentation et votre petit bijou musical.

[@Mario_DiSanto]

Merci beaucoup. J'apprécie les commentaires de votre part. Mario

[@tomwaite5127]

Great video, a lot of lessons can be learned from old school recording techniques. I would disagree with your point that American records tended to be less compressed, with your example being Motown, the classic 60’s Motown sound for me is HUGE amounts of compression, mainly from hitting the tape so hard. They also pioneered early forms of parallel compression, Lawrence Horn would split the vocals, heavily compress one as well as boost 5khz and mix it back in with the dry vocal. We know that the Beatles wanted to get the Motown bass sound and it wouldn’t be hard to speculate that their experimenting with heavy studio compression was also similarly inspired by Motown, given that EMI engineers were sent over to the US to purchase some American compressors and came back with the Altecs that would be modified into the RS124 compressors that were used heavily on albums like Revolver. That being said Ken Scott and Geoff Emerick were genius engineers in the own right.

[@Mario_DiSanto]

Tom, I would also agree with all of what you are saying (especially the parts about Geoff Emerick and Ken Scott). I should really avoid making these types of generalizations because it really depends on a lot of factors as you said. I have to remember that parallel vocal trick you mentioned. I've never used parallel compression on vocals before. Thanks for sharing. Mario

[@theguitarprofessionals8584]

FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@davidreidy5750]

Funny right about to start recording and mixdown some music on an old Tascam 424,yep I'm a tape head.Overdubbing,bouncing,etc.Subbed.

[@Mario_DiSanto]

David, I have been looking for a "reasonably" priced portastudio for the past year or two but everything I find online is SOOOO expensive for what it is. I am definitely envious of your Tascam 424. Thanks for commenting and subscribing there will be more videos in the near future. Mario

[@davidreidy5750]

@@Mario_DiSanto absolutely love your music kid🤖📼

[@thedevilsadvocate5210]

Ridiculous to pay that amount for novelty junk.

[@Mario_DiSanto]

@@thedevilsadvocate5210 You're not wrong. More often than not, some of my favorite audio equipment that I own came from a junk pile someone was either throwing away or giving away for dirt cheap. Mario

[@thedevilsadvocate5210]

@@Mario_DiSanto Everything is vintage on Craigslist now.

[@matafuko]

yeah it sort of does - well done!

[@maccthusaucyurchin2013]

Anyone here heard of Shannon and the Clams? I played a cover of their song Troublemaker once and thought they were a long-gone band, but it turns out they are fully 21st-century, they just really nail this sound! It's very impressive and a super cool concept to me, Troublemaker is a great song but they have many others like I Miss the Jasmine and Year of the Spider that capture this sound while being amazing songs, give them a listen!

[@Mario_DiSanto]

I am checking them out right now. Cool stuff, I bet a lot of people would be fooled by the year of recording. Good recommendation. Thanks for commenting. Mario

[@acmerockgroup]

Nice job, Mario!

[@jussiniemi9560]

Really nice work. The song sounds a bit like kinks or the stooges. Very interesting video.

[@bob4analog]

15:02 "computer generated garbage." Excellent! 👍😉 Analog!

[@andriealinsangao613]

BOOM!

[@wigwagstudios2474]

honestly listening to it it sounds more 60s, but early 60s in particular. definitely beatles beach boy kinda vibe to it

[@h.markhorton8188]

Thank you. Good stuff.

[@robertkrutso3217]

This is fantastic. thanks man,

[@tomewing9518]

Awesome video!

[@Mario_DiSanto]

Thanks Tom

[@YeahMaybe]

very cool studio!

[@frankiesunswept]

This is rad homie, cheers

[@Name-kx8sl]

Cool video. Cool song.

[@colegilliam2379]

I swear you managed to get the syd barret era pink floyd sound effortlessly.

[@mkshffr4936]

Fascinating. The song sounds a bit like an acid trip but I like the recording.

[@LosFicosMusic]

CRIMSON AND CLOVER vocals was ran though a Guitar Amp?? Man I love that sound

[@Mario_DiSanto]

I read that on some forums years ago. I like to pretend it's true without doing any further research haha. Thanks for watching! Mario

[@Imperia_Classicus]

Crimson and clover, over and over 🎶

[@PhatLvis]

Song is cool, in any era. 50s drums, I think, usually further "back in the room." Chamber is more 50s; spring more 60s. Perhaps more bleed (faux, of course, unless an actuall band plays everything together). Very nice sound, regardless - well-engineered and captured. No substitue for real analog gear & methods, especially vintage.

[@Mario_DiSanto]

Thank you for taking to the time to comment. I would definitely paint this song as more of a 60s sounding song, especially for the reasons you point out. Although a lot of local garage rock 45s of the 60s era have the drums way way way back in the room like you describe. When you say faux bleed, what exactly do you mean by that? Cheers, Mario

[@aisforapple2494]

On 'Crimson And Clover' they ran the vocals through a rotating Lesley speaker.

[@Mario_DiSanto]

Shhhhhhh...let me believe the guitar thing is true ;)

[@ChronoTango]

I’m not sure about compression, or if this is something around back in the 50’s, but it’s been told to me that Europe used a different recording circuit standard(I believe that’s it) that produces a slight, but distinctly different playback. Units intended for export to America would be different to the units intended for the European market. Just thought it would be an interesting detail to mention.

[@Mario_DiSanto]

You're not referring to the electrical supply right? Europe being 50hz and the US being 60hz?

[@elsizzle2000]

Love this guy! Thanks Mario!

[@Mario_DiSanto]

Thank you Doctor Siz!

[@VintageGuitarClubSP]

Great tips.

[@gwugluud]

This is slightly off-topic, but I really don't find much specific information online re what the average Midwestern USA recording studio used circa 1965-ish. What tape machines, what mixing apparatus, etc. It would be interesting to know what gear was used to record "I Need Her" by The Dominions, to cite one very random example. I bet you'd know.

[@Mario_DiSanto]

It is unfortunately very difficult to find a lot of this information. This is why I often put disclaimers in my videos basically stating "I am generalizing greatly". Sometimes I take some liberties and assume some things where I really shouldn't be. The information about 1960s garage rock recording that I find often comes straight from the mouth of the artists. If you listen to enough garage rock on KZbin you eventually come across band members reminiscing in the comments section. There you will hear about people talk about their local recording studio setup and other funny anecdotes. Other times I find information on music recording forums. (Sometimes I even get lucky and have a garage rocker from the 60s email me!) It is difficult to generalize recording practices during this time anyway because the methods varied greatly depending on the studio and what tape machine they had access to. The difference in workflow recording on a 2 track versus recording on a 4 track can be very substantial. Tape machines aside, I rarely EVER see information listed about mixing desks used. I have a feeling the average mixing desk used in the early 60s was custom made in house, as they were all very simple in design at this point. It really wasn't until the 70s were mixing desks as we know them today came into fruition. I am just guessing though... Okay now I am rambling, Mario