How to Record and Mix like The Beatles in a Home Studio

We have received many requests on how we do our recording and mixing, we filmed through our process of putting a final mix on Everybody's Got Something To Hide (Except For Me And My Monkey). Also, plenty of side-tracking and discussing what we know of The Beatle's recording process.
Support us on PayPal/Patreon: www.paypal.me/...
/ ablyhouse

[@ericstewart9742]

Paul McCartney was once asked what made the Beatles so good... what was their "secret." His answer was, "We were just four really cool guys. That's it."

[@cpcpay]

Eric Stewart kkkkk

[@dncviorel]

I wonder what Adorno had to say about that. :)))))

[@MadScientist267]

I'm still trying to figure out what made the Beatles so "good". The songs sucked. They sucked. The mix sucked. Nothing about them that didn't suck. Why reproduce suck? 🤣

[@thebookofeli849]

@@MadScientist267 what?

[@MadScientist267]

@@thebookofeli849 🤷‍♂️ Sorry lol

[@jamesdoctor8079]

Dude it is insane how big of a difference the fender twin plugin made to the drum bus!

[@arkdalemusicco]

my jaw dropped when he turned it off haha! it is very effective

[@sharonlee4773]

Why is Liam Gallagher talking about recording in an American accent?😅

[@stephensheridanmusicguitar7881]

Agreed, never have I thought about reamping drums through a guitar amp!

[@angeldquintas]

Loving the 70's Paul look, Neil 🤙

[@sratus]

Just say the word....mullet

[@bonkeydollocks1879]

I reckon 69 and a half

[@ric8248]

the irony at 14:25 when you ask "what are we missing?" and he TRIES to tell you something but you don't even let him speak and say "we're missing the communication and the relationship.." 🤣

[@EduardoSilva-wk4gk]

AHAHAHAHAHA I JUST LAUGHED SO HARD AT THIS

[@profile2047]

The guy is honestly a child. Having been around for a bit I’ve learned to avoid his type.

[@TheNoisylover]

What I want to know is why you guys don't have a whole department at Berkely School of Music. This is essential work. I hope you guys NEVER die!

[@ronbynum7304]

Geoff Emerick was a close friend of mine, and he swore most of McCartney's bass was DI'd and highly compressed, not amped; from Revolver forward. And he absolutely hated plugins as much as he detested digital.

[@westvalleyjunction]

Where there plug-ins in 1968?

[@erestube]

@@westvalleyjunction He's saying Geoff hated digital recording later on as it could not sufficiently replicate the analog studio process. A separate comment but applicable to these guys' production of Beatles' music.

[@bassinblue]

@@erestube Geoff sadly died in 2018 and I genuinely believe his opinion of digital plugins would have changed had he got to hear what they are capable of today. Sold my Vox amp/Fender Bassman because these plugins literally replicate the exact same thing. Times have changed.

[@ThatBobGuy850]

Damn, you guys are such nerds! I mean that in a good way. It's great that you put so much effort into figuring out how the Beatles got their specific sounds. It's great that you treat the music with such respect. As a long-time Beatles fan, I appreciate that. I didn't understand a word of what you were talking about, technically, but I totally dig the end result: if I didn't know any better, I'd think I was listening to the actual instrumental track from the album. So...great job! Very informative video that was fun to watch and listen to. Keep up the good work! I look forward to hearing more from you guys :-) (As for the fire bell, I wonder if they just miked the one on the wall in the studio - there surely was one - and had one of them bang on it?)

[@AblyHouse]

I wouldn't be surprised if they miked it straight off the wall. Someone else in the comments said it's the same bell used in Penny Lane before the trumpet solo. Listening to both, they seem to be similar in pitch and tone. I forgot to include in this explanation that the bell we used had to be pitched up 3 half steps. And a lot of times Neil will show me his mixing techniques and it will be above my head too. Glad he wanted to sit down and talk about it. We can always break things down further in a follow up video.

[@davidwiggins8377]

That Bob Guy according to Geoff Emerick, it was a firebell found in the closet with a rope at the bell and you’d manually ring it. It wasn’t miked at all and it was so loud that it could be heard through the drum Mics. The reason it goes out in the second verse is that it’s so hard to ring it tired Paul out.

[@AblyHouse]

David Wiggins - oh that's interesting! I thought that because a shaker comes in when the firebell stops, it was an artistic choice; or that the ears might need a break from that sound after a while

[@ThatBobGuy850]

David Wiggins - that's cool! And it is so totally logical. Goes to show how inventive the Beatles were! Nowadays of course you'd just sample one clang and loop it over and over.

[@ThatBobGuy850]

Ably House Andrew- wouldn't we all love to have been a fly on the wall of those studio sessions? To hear their thought processes (and of course George Martin's input would be amazing! Thanks for giving us a glimpse into what it may have been like :-)

[@sevchyk]

I can’t believe my ears. You nailed it. This recording sounds like it’s really from the 60s.

[@absolving]

They both look like they stepped out of the 70s, I love it!

[@lostparlour]

Im so proud to be one of their first subscriber The channel is so big now

[@AblyHouse]

We are proud of you too, thanks for subbing early on and motivating us!

[@mulcairs123]

Incredible job at mixing. Those drums are so eerily similar!

[@jonluther599]

I could literally watch you guys talk about this for hours, as this is what I do all day every day

[@ibahasbin1979]

Just love the way you gents just cut to the chase and play the songs, don't need every bend explained! I grew up learning to play songs right from the records, these video's now provide a visual of every instrument as well - Sweet! Also, the dedication to sound detail and reproduction is incredible!!!! This was one of the best You Tube video's I've seen! Thank you....

[@AblyHouse]

IBA Hasbin - listening to the records is still the way to experience their music, its how they intended it. All of us have our own set of records and record players and prefer to listen that way

[@buhlir]

ah man I wish I could talk Beatles with you dudes, so cool you know your stuff. I don't get to find many people in person who are as passionate as me as well

[@sejrec56]

Wow, I have that same passion about Beatle songs, I know exactly what you mean, even what you didn't express I know the same feeling! It's so nice to hear both of you dig into your ideas of recording these songs and analyzing the parts of theirs and your own. I think you guys really do capture the SPIRIT of the songs, which is what they were all in when their songs were evolving in the studio. That freshness reproduced, you've done a great job on. I'd love to hang w you guys in the studio too, I feel the same wavelength . So anyways thanks for your candor in the studio, and really showing what down to earth guys you are. No air of arrogance, as I said in some comments, you guys are the real deal. Also looks like you're getting an education FROM the Beatles too!

[@redadamearth]

That was an ambitious track to try to reproduce and you guys completely nailed it. Brilliant job, from the guitar tone, to the drums, to the breakdown, just beautiful.

[@jonahman360]

I was going out of my mind with the faint persistent squeak through the video. I was thinking, lube the damn kick pedal already! But I think it’s Neil rocking the left leg in his squeaky chair. Lube the the damn chair Neil! 🤣

[@waynedeadder664]

I love this video. I don’t care how many plug-ins you were using. It sounds so perfect I can’t even believe it. I must say that both of you guys look like you could have worked in a studio in that era, which is even better.

[@rdpurdom]

I'm loving what you guys are doing here! You guys are right in. I've always believed a lot of this stuff too that The Beatles weren't who they were because they were "great" musicians on their own. Their was, for lack of a better word, Magine that happens when these four guys got together. It just came together perfectly! I also think the reason things sound "right" is because they did it and nothing is a substitute for it. It was right when they said it wa! Thanks!

[@collinstanton]

I love the Beatles. I began playing in 63, while my dad was shunning the alleged Beatle invasion. I smoked my first reefer in Albany NY where I got my physical for the US Army, with a dancer at her place listening to Sgt. Peppers Lonely Heart Clubs Band.💛🌹👏🏼 They inspired me totally, more than Johnny Rivers, Elvis, or Chubby Checker. Keep on Shining.

[@TheEnergyball]

This is such a rich recording. Thank you for sharing your process in detail.

[@garyhoffman5529]

Really awesome. What killed me was 1/2 inch two track tape reference. Excellent song as an orchestration. I know quite a bit about analogue language and all the machines from 2" Quad, 1", 3/4" Umatic, VHS, Beta, BETACAM, DIGITAL BETACAM and all the 24 Track Recorders and 8 Track Recorders linked for 16 which led to Pro-Tools. People don't realise analogue had it's own dialogue, people read more, learned everything and mostly blew things up. That was the magic of Mic level to Line level, to output. I just heard your piece on Sony SRS-XB22 from phone to wireless. Run, don't walk. This is how to listen to compression. Fabulous Two! Outstanding guys!

[@pullthereins]

This was awesome!!! Great job guys. The snare, fire bell and lead guitar parts were spot in to my ear. Everything sounded great. I’ve always been interested in hearing Paul sing a John classic and John singing a Paul classic, Beatles era. Neil, you’re the man!!! And your buddy is Rockin’ you guys have great studio chemistry. That’s how it’s done 🤟🏻💀🤟🏻

[@gerrycoogan6544]

This is one of my favourite videos in the history of KZbin. :) My idea of heaven is having the time and gear to remake every Beatles song (including solo work). Apart from the joy of trying to recreate that magic, it's a fabulous musical education. I envy you dudes but I'm delighted for you too. Rock on!

[@sejrec56]

Yes do this more often it's very cool to see the other side of the recording process, and for those as myself to write and record in my own home studio, it's very inspiring to see what recording gear your working with. I mean, yeah the Beatles mainly recoded on four tracks or two, though I think the white album was the first time they used an eight channel ( Track ) recorder. But yes please do this again. It is very informative and does help give me more ideas and I'm sure others out there too, AND ...you know someone is actually listening closely ....thanks guys! Have a great one.

[@JEEJ_MUSIC]

Boys this is such a fantastic video, I keep coming back to it over and over and I’ve been referencing it a ton for a Beatles-style record I’m working on. More videos like this PLEASE!

[@TheNoisylover]

I LOVE you guys! And your contributions to my Beatle idolatry are MOST appreciated . I could really dig on some early stuff like the cooolness of "No Reply" with it's jazz chords.. or Ask Me Why. I'd like to hear Neil speak about the bass in "I Me Mine" as played on the "Anthology" release. I love and admire your work I don't know where you guys are, but you have friends in New England.~ James

[@GrizzlyDave85]

I love that David Spade has such an interest in the Beatles recording techniques. 😂 I joke, but honestly thank you guys so much for this

[@keithhyttinen8275]

Beautiful job on "If I Fell". Heard that last night for the first time. Perfecto.

[@DevynCrimson]

Legends! 💫💕

[@snippletrap]

Great points about the energy they brought to their performances. That’s missing in a lot of gridded modern music. Excitement and real feeling you can’t get from a synth or drum machine. Even today many of the biggest hits rely on actual performances on actual instruments: Rolling in the Deep and Uptown Funk

[@R3TR0R4V3]

Please, please, PLEASE cover "She Said She Said" ..that would be amazing! "Old Brown Shoe" would be another favorite. Keep up the good work, fellas! Cheers

[@joshwmusic6838]

Why the hell haven't I watched this before! This is a great video

[@dannoyes4493]

Score - 9.9 That was absolutely incredible.

[@buhlir]

Hey Ken Scott actually made the DI box for the bass. not sure if it was his idea but hey he made it so. I give him the credit ha.

[@charlid6227]

The silverface trick on the snare is amazing! Thanks for sharing

[@neilcandeloramusic]

It's on the whole kit - and every other instrument as well. You can't have a modeled cabinet - just purely a direct signal from the "head"

[@sejrec56]

Love this segment w you guys !

[@robertkuhlman8811]

Thanks guys for your incredible work. Great stuff!

[@davidflanagan7108]

great video!!.. although the irony of this meticulous approach to replicating such a classic sound whilst ignoring the noise of those unbelievably squeaky chairs, should not be lost..

[@DominikMerscheid]

Would love to see more Behind The Scenes videos like this!! Keep up your inspiring work!

[@EIDTII]

You guys got some good banter, im loving it.

[@Rickenbacker325]

Chaps, I absolutely loved this video. Reassured me that I’m not alone in my craziness. I have a bunch of isolated tracks and it’s astonishing what the finished product sounds like once you’ve heard the raw isolated studio track. If you have John and Paul’s “Don’t Let Me Down” vocal you know exactly what I’m talking about

[@homemovies751]

Wow. Such detail for each instrument (and song) to recreate the environment in which they were recorded. BUT considering that most tribute bands do not make records, maybe a tutorial on how this expert knowledge is leveraged for live performances where it would seem unfeasible to change the instrument dynamics/setup for each song/era before it goes to the local PA system???

[@buhlir]

awesome! that'd be cool to see an updated version if there's any new ones

[@truthhurts3479]

The effort you put into this pays off this is wonderful thanks

[@dadduorp]

Man, you guys are thorough! You even got the squeaky drum throne effect! 🤣 Save that one for ADITL.

[@John-Brown]

This was amazing! We'd love to hear your thoughts on how you produce every song you guys record!

[@timothypersaud4986]

That bass sound is insane spot on

[@thordotcom]

First off; is the guy in background not wairing pants? Altså you should check out Jeff Hammacks books on recording the Beatles

[@stevestonesongwriter]

Great content guys love the hidden bits that you expose. Love the songs with two bass parts, wow revelation been doing same with my stuff

[@kevinsturges6957]

Great channel! Subscribed! And you guys look cool too. So refreshing to see that again in a band. 😊

[@collinstanton]

Fascinating, but of course the big part of the Beatles' sound, is their raw talent, both as performers, and writers. Shared your highly inspired show on my social media. Twitter & FB.

[@BrilliantSound]

There you go! You don't need expensive outboard gear, just the right instruments, amps and mics. I find especially the bass sound incredibly good, haven't heard anything like that since the original. Klaatu's John Woloschuk had a good sound, but that was produced by Terry Brown😊

[@truthfinder4973]

omg sick i was born lat i love 60s rock and you all putt this off epic

[@earlgrey9921]

It's funny (and ironic). but Neil's squeaky chair sometimes sounds like the rooster at the beginning of Sgt. Pepper's Reprise. This video was fantastic! You guys are incredible!

[@dunebuggy66music]

I think that the fire bell they used was an old style hand rung bell. A traditionally shaped bell with a central clapper enthusiastically played by Mal Evans

[@Stevesk0011]

LadderMänn Paul played it

[@AblyHouse]

Mal played the bang bang part in Maxwell Silver Hammer. It sounds like a Paul thing, and Geoff Emerick said it was Paul

[@dunebuggy66music]

Yeah, I’ve checked and it was Paul. My mistake.

[@collinstanton]

PS your final mix is really cool. Excellent playing, love you guys.

[@AnneMcCueMusic]

Love this, thank you! And your chair is very analogue sounding.

[@TheDarkCow11]

Hey please make more of these please and thanks

[@bdeanda9766]

This was freakin cool. Glad I found this. The sounds are nice

[@eldyko]

You guys are cool! Love the passion! thanks for sharing!

[@atomwatt77]

I like that the squeak from the kick pedal is in there. ✌🏻❤️😎

[@drutgat2]

You guys are amazing. That is fantastic. Thanks very much. I have some questions. 1. Have you ever tried - or would you try - the ‘Paperback Writer’ trick of wiring a speaker up as a microphone in order to record Paul’s bass sound? 2. Dan and Mick (from 'That Pedal Show') talked in one of the episodes about a person colleague (works for Fender?) telling them that the *early* Vox amps that The Fabs used had some piece of electronics which were only included in the first few models Vox made - I think the first 20 or so amps. I do not think it was the diode you are talking about. Might be worth following up on, if you are interested. Actually, I might do that. 3. Do you also do mono mixes in order to maintain period accuracy? 4. Wouldn’t JPG (and maybe R) have used plate reverbs mostly in the studio (eschewing the spring reverbs on their amps?). Or maybe they ran everything through the echo chamber at EMI. 5. Are there any copyright issues for re-doing tracks like this? 6. Have you tried the Vacuum Sound (free) ADT plugin? I know that your Waves stuff is probably a lot better, but the VS produces an amazing result. 7. My 424 MK II has been in the cupboard for a few years (after I went digital for recording), and part of my reluctance to use it is that I cannot find any rubber roller cleaner (apparently isopropyl alcohol is not the way to go) - do you know where I can access that? 8. How much difference does Ringo’s early cigarette-packet-taped-to-the-snare make to the sound, in comparison to his later use of tea towels? It is otherworldly that they - as you say - did everything right in their recording (and writing). No ego about that, and they had an unerring and merciless instinct for what to do and not to do (unlike most people, I still maintain that it was a good decision to not release ‘Leave My Kitten Alone’). And their work ethic was phenomenal.

[@AblyHouse]

1. We've become more selective on the songs we pick to put out next in order to save the more complicated tricks or sounds such as Paperback Writer. That would be a cool effect to add to the video as well. 3. We try to replicate what we think is best. It's known The Beatles as well as the engineers gave considerable less thought to the stereo mixes. The mono mixes were created through creative processes and then later recreated, as each mix is essentially played into the tape. 4. I think mostly echo chamber. 5. The videos get claimed and I don't pay much attention to it. KZbin partnered with major publishing companies who share revenue off bedroom guitarists. 6. More of a Neil question. I haven't messed around with comparing plugins too much. 8. A good Brendan question. Most snares have a ring and tone that can be diminished by something light, like a cigarette pack, while keeping the tone. A tea towel darkens the whole hit as the towel is cushioning the strike, and also pretty dead sounding.

[@drutgat2]

Thanks Andrew.

[@blakewhittington4336]

I've got that Mark II Plus a Mark III Thanks for the video I've always wondered about some of these things. Man I wish I knew guys like you

[@alanporzio7143]

I am working on a Beatle tribute type album focusing on earlier stuff. As engineer and mixer I keep on finding that less is more.

[@uncleambient]

Fantastic video, loved the attention to detail.

[@mattwash5338]

awesome video! Please do one for recording the vocals + mixing chain :)

[@jasonarmstrong3368]

You cats are cool ~ Fantastic groove and reproduction it's spot on !!!!

[@christophelabedan5696]

Fantastic... amazing sound, so close to studio 2 👍

[@ToneCanyon]

This is a super fun and informative video! I have been a pro tools user for years, and just getting into logic. Started on a tascam four track and have studied the beatles recording techniques for ever, so it all checks out: ). Also run my mixes through my four track and then to tape. I think its only eighth inch but the analog quality does help. Also those some of those old school tape machines work great for a revolution style guitar tone when cranking the preamps : ) i can get super clean glassy to superoverload.

[@MoreMeRecording]

Very cool guys!

[@wrekkingcru]

Try as you might might, but we know that you and your Monkey DEFINITELY have something to hide :) Thanks for taking the time to put this together. Loved it. It would be very cool to just get all the different snare drum techniques and sounds on additional KZbin videos - for all Beatler-nerdia and to see how it can technically be done without paying EMI/Abbey Road studio prices or being independently wealthy.

[@vrenan99]

That is Amazing, guys

[@rickdomina]

Fantastic. Loved it guys. Thank you. I'd love to see how you did 'Hard Days Night'.

[@LanceHall]

To reproduce the correct Beatles sound you MUST use the vintage EMI "brilliance box" parametric EQ points 2.7k, 3.5k, 10k and the REDD desk bass/treble. The 2.7k is very often on John's vocals and the electric guitars. The 10k brings snap to the snare drum and acoustic guitars. The 3.5k was hardly used as far as I can tell. The 1968 desk added an additional EQ point. The early stuff often has a 5k bump because the REDD desk was set to "pop" not flat "classical". People who do remixes (official and bootleg) always miss these EQs and that's why their mixes sound wonky. The home-brew people are using very narrow 20 band graphic equalization in Audacity (I don't use that) which does not work. You can't demix/remix something if you don't know what was done in the first place. ALSO the mix needs to be sent through some sort of multi-band compressor at the end so the mix pumps. Relying heavily on these things will get you to that vintage sound much faster. I often add a little harmonic restoration in a different DAW to add some high end sparkle and extension. You don't need to buy a single special plugin.

[@heyjavey]

Amazing video guys thank you

[@timothypersaud4986]

You guys need more videos like these

[@tommibjork]

Great channel. Loved the odd mix solutions. Whatever works! I would lose the squeeky chair. 😀👍

[@Tiomofee]

Outstanding!!! (/ from Germany)

[@davidwiggins8377]

I’m excited for the “if I needed someone”

[@jeronewedig]

great job fellas!

[@SandalwoodBros]

Some incredible salad on these two guys. Beauties.

[@jamescunningham3314]

This was really great! Would love to more of the later stuff but early will be great too

[@AblyHouse]

James Cunningham - more late would be great too, theres more to talk about. And I feel we picked a sort of obscure song to do such a detailed breakdown on haha

[@jamescunningham3314]

You picked a great song, I love your guys work and your re-creations are amazing and really interesting.

[@Caifo]

You guys are amazing. I love your channel!

[@samdix5831]

And so young. This was great.

[@phuzbrain]

I'm glad to see young guys digging The Beatles. I believe U67's were used on some guitar amps during the White album.

[@jhowe5571]

Actually, they had multiple U47's that were modified into U48's Much of their gear was tube driven, even their compressors. Most of their mic's were tube driven. Most of them were either U47-8's or ribbon mics and such. Lots of AKG D19C's were being used on the drums starting about halfway through their recording careers (Sgt Peppers...). The first few albums, when Norman Smith was engineer, he used an AKG D19 directly above Ringo at the center of the kit, pointing down and an SDC 403-8 or AKG D12 at the one o'clock position relative to the kick drum, 8 inches away. They may have used a few other mics, here and there, especially in later years, at about Sgt. Peppers & beyond. I saw "Doctor Mix" interview, Jerry Hammack who is writing a book series on the recording process of The Beatles. BTW... Ringo had one snare he used nearly exclusively throughout his Beatles career, a 14" x 4-1/2" wooden Ludwig snare. Also, later on, engineers did use double mic-ing on the snare, at times. It's an old isolating mic-ing pattern studio trick that isolates the snare. (At least you guys are using "Red" imitating plug-ins for the front end. It may help to use real tube driven gear somewhere in the recording chain to get that real tube saturation. Maybe in the mixdown to two track, like a real tube driven compressor...) :-) kzbin.info/www/bejne/mnrdiWidedqladk

[@phuzbrain]

@@jhowe5571 Yes, nothing like the sweet sound of tube gear... I use a Neumann M147 on most applications and sometimes a AKG 414. I use a Neve 1073N preamp which is a Beast of a preamp. I get some nice tone going into the box.

[@BrilliantSound]

Two things that make your channel unique: how you meticuously write out every note (that's how classic rock should be performed anyway) and how you get so similar sounds out of similar looking instruments like the originals! 👍

[@westfield90]

Really liked this video like I do with all your videos

[@jonluther599]

Wow. There’s others like me. Cheers. Well done

[@7919AEM]

Marvelous job! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

[@DeanPresley]

Could you make a video about all your guitars and other gear?

[@arlandajim]

Great guys

[@thecaveofthedead]

Thanks. This is really good. I'm rubbish at recording. But all my favourite production is on late '60s UK records and there's not that much to help me figure out how to get that sound. I'd love to find someone to explain how to sound like Let It Bleed, but the Beatles stuff certainly gives me a lot of food for thought.

[@bv9434]

Thanks for this guys!

[@dansvideovault2186]

Great job ,I have the same Tascam 4 track,Im gonna try your method.

[@pointsofhonesty]

This is why the internet was invented, thanks guys

[@renapster]

Fantastic. We Brazilian We love your videos

[@sevchyk]

Guys, did you try to record new modern music, but trying this approach to make the record sound like it’s from the 60s? I would like to listen to the results. That’s very interesting.

[@AblyHouse]

Yes, we released a spooky album called Posey Hollow Quartet and are working on a power pop album to follow it

[@sevchyk]

@@AblyHouse And you did all these tricks with mic bleed on that album, or used just clean tracks of each instrument?

[@shea086]

Very good. I'm impressed.

[@jl1848]

Amazing stuff. I'm curious how you came up with running the drums through an amp simulator. It definitely adds the right flavor. I wonder what they did to get that.