Brian's Home Studio

[Dunderhead]

Alright, so I've seen the footage on American Band, and I found an old thread where AGD gives some info on the mixing board.
One of the things I've noticed about Brian is his peculiar notion of "sounds" or "feels" or "vibes" (the band's vocal mix is a good example of this) the guy has a very interesting sonic vocabulary. The home studio (in the Smiley Smile-Friends era) seemed to have a very particular mix of instruments, and Brian seemed to have an attachment to some of the equipment, notably the detuned Piano and the Baldwin Theater Organ (I've heard this was a gift from his father, any truth to that?). What other equipment was Brian using in that studio? Did Brian bring in outside musicians to do things like Horns on Darlin'? or the glockenspiel on Friends? By the '68 Friends sessions what was Brian's impact on production? It seems on Friends he's still "in charge" but on 20/20 he's already much less involved, did this transition just happen naturally or was it overt decision on the part of the band?
Also at some point the studio got an echo chamber, when was that? I've heard an interview with Brian from '67 where he says that the studio didn't have one during the Smiley Smile sessions. By the time of Friends what was Brian's impact on production?
Also, who was responsible for the mono mix on Wild Honey? Was this done under Brian's direction? The mix is just so heavy, I can't imagine it wasn't consciously done that way.

[hypehat]

Of course Brian brought in outside musicians - one of them even has a credit on Diamond Head although i can't remember which one....

The band also used outside studios a lot, and they took the console with them on tours until Desper installed the 16track console in time for Sunflower. So Brian would pop out to Western if he wanted to record.

I can imagine Brian mixing that 'heavy' sound on Wild Honey - Pet Sounds sounds a little similar, that thickness of the mono. It sounds a little odder on WH cos there is less in the mix.

[Dunderhead]

Of course Brian brought in outside musicians - one of them even has a credit on Diamond Head although i can't remember which one....

The band also used outside studios a lot, and they took the console with them on tours until Desper installed the 16track console in time for Sunflower. So Brian would pop out to Western if he wanted to record.

I can imagine Brian mixing that 'heavy' sound on Wild Honey - Pet Sounds sounds a little similar, that thickness of the mono. It sounds a little odder on WH cos there is less in the mix.

I think he did Diamond Head at ID Sound, I've never seen a credit list for Wild Honey or Friends. Some stuff like Ana Lee is really simple, but I was just curious who Brian was working with during these albums.

In another thread AGD posted, from Desper's book:
quote removed by request of the author

Did the band still use the earlier Friends mixing board when they toured? Or did that only start once Desper upgraded the studio?

Really I'd just love to hear anything about this studio, the equipment/instruments it contained and any comments on Brian's general attitude/involvement/interest in the Wild Honey and Friends albums.

[c-man]

I don't think Brian used Western inbetween SMiLE and 15 Big Ones.  Which is interesting, come to think of it...the other guys occasionally did, and Brian still sometimes worked at Gold Star, and Wally Heider (which in itself is interesing:  the reason it was called Wally Heider Studio 3 is because it was virtually an exact replica of the famed Western Studio 3).  Maybe it was a psychological thing, Brian consiously avoiding the scene of his former glories.

Fishmonk, you should go to esquarterly.com, and order a copy of Issue #79 (Spring of 2008, I believe).  I contributed a piece which provides the musician credits for each cut on Friends.

[DonnyL]

I don't think that Quad-8 board was around prior to SUNFLOWER.  not sure what they used on SMILEY and WILD HONEY.  i believe the equipment was rented.  i know that around the time of the 20/20 sessions, they had a 3M M-23 recorder, it is visible in the "time to get alone" footage.  i can't tell if its 4-track or 8-track.   i would guess they were using 8-track for SMILEY and WILD HONEY.  the setup was certainly makeshift.  I know they shipped out a 8-track 3M (rented from Wally Heider's) for the hawaii concerts in '67.  i believe the consoles were custom built in any case, likely from Bill Putman / UA stuff.

[DonnyL]

Also, Jim Lockert was the engineer during Smiley Smiley and Wild Honey.  he mixed those records under the group's direction.  they were "assembled" as well; mixed in sections and copied and dubbed (modular recording).  brilliant stuff.

[guitarfool2002]

The most knowledgeable guy to ask all of this stuff is Stephen Desper - he was there and has intimate knowledge of all that gear since he not only engineered but also kept it all running and assembled.

For Smiley Smile, Brian had apparently ordered a rush job on the work, and it was hastily assembled and thrown together before a more formal setup was designed and built in the house. He originally wanted Chuck Britz to be his engineer at the house, but Britz recommended Jim Lockert in his place, and Jim took the job. The sessions were done on a patched-together setup which included a rather odd choice of a radio broadcast board instead of a true mixing board. I have a photo of that same model board somewhere from a similar discussion years ago, and it's not what you'd go to for recording music but again it seemed to be a rush job.

Interesting fact - according to some participants in the scene like Hal Blaine, it was actually against the zoning laws of Brian's Bel-Air community to have a studio set up in your house, yet Papa John Phillips around this time had acquired that amazing, now-historic equipment from Western Studio 3 (where he recorded his best, just like Brian and others...), and had a secret home studio in his Bel-Air house, after United/Western had upgraded their equipment and sold off the old stuff in favor of "new" technology. Papa John also had a secret entrance to the studio so no one would know he was cutting tracks there.

So Papa John had Western's equipment, Brian was tracking in his house on a radio board and hastily assembled equipment, and Wally Heider had been busy taking measurements down to the smallest detail of Western's Studio Three, which he was soon to replicate in his own studio, and had built consoles using Bill Putnam's modular UA components he had worked with when he was working at UA. Then Brian eventually took not only the tapes of the Hawaii debacle but also his stacks of Smiley Smile reels to Heider's to put the finishing touches on and have Jim Lockert do what was then a miracle of splicing, editing, and mixing but which is now available in the form of digital recording and editing software which comes free with your new Mac. I don't recall seeing it confirmed but I think Brian was using that room where Heider cloned Western #3, or maybe not...

It's interesting how each of those legends who had built a reputation working at Western #3 all seemed to latch on to a piece of it after they were no longer booking sessions there, for whatever reasons they had in '67 and beyond.

The very interesting sounds to listen for, IMO, on recordings from that era are the electric guitars, especially on something like the 1967 track of Cool Cool Water. A very unique and bizarre tone, and on the Sea Of Tunes tracking sessions of that tune it jumps out at you. Very odd sound, and it doesn't sound like Carl or Al to my ears. The guitars overall in late '67-'68 Beach Boys tracks have a very unique quality, however they were being recorded.

[guitarfool2002]

Here is a great piece from 2005 that tells of the '67 Hawaii mobile recordings in great detail, as much detail as anything perhaps...and also includes a few questions I had posted to the author back then and had forgotten about. I also forgot Bill Halverson was the lead engineer in Hawaii...and notice the mention of "Diamondhead" which would soon be the title of a rather awesome instrumental on Friends.

http://wallyheider.com/wordpress/2005/03/recording-the-beach-boys-in-hawaii/

[Dunderhead]

Thank you so much!!!! Lots of great info.

[Andrew G. Doe]

I don't think Brian used Western inbetween SMiLE and 15 Big Ones.  Which is interesting, come to think of it...the other guys occasionally did, and Brian still sometimes worked at Gold Star, and Wally Heider (which in itself is interesing:  the reason it was called Wally Heider Studio 3 is because it was virtually an exact replica of the famed Western Studio 3).  Maybe it was a psychological thing, Brian consiously avoiding the scene of his former glories.

Brian cut the "California Feeling" demo in Western, with Chuck, in fall 1974. Prior to that his last Western session was for the Smiley Smile version of "Vegetables", 6/7/67 (although Bruce held a solo-ish session there for "Bluebirds" 9/29/67 and Dennis cut "Tune #L" there 11/28/67. Wasn't "Loop De Loop" worked on at Western too ?)

[hypehat]

Yeah, not sure why I picked Western out of all of them to mention.

You could do worse than read The Stephen Desper thread here - he talks a lot about technical things there, although not without the gentle nudge to buy his book.... which i can't find anywhere, dammit!

[c-man]

I don't think Brian used Western inbetween SMiLE and 15 Big Ones.  Which is interesting, come to think of it...the other guys occasionally did, and Brian still sometimes worked at Gold Star, and Wally Heider (which in itself is interesing:  the reason it was called Wally Heider Studio 3 is because it was virtually an exact replica of the famed Western Studio 3).  Maybe it was a psychological thing, Brian consiously avoiding the scene of his former glories.

Brian cut the "California Feeling" demo in Western, with Chuck, in fall 1974. Prior to that his last Western session was for the Smiley Smile version of "Vegetables", 6/7/67 (although Bruce held a solo-ish session there for "Bluebirds" 9/29/67 and Dennis cut "Tune #L" there 11/28/67. Wasn't "Loop De Loop" worked on at Western too ?)

Yes, but without Brian. 

[Andrew G. Doe]

I don't think Brian used Western inbetween SMiLE and 15 Big Ones.  Which is interesting, come to think of it...the other guys occasionally did, and Brian still sometimes worked at Gold Star, and Wally Heider (which in itself is interesing:  the reason it was called Wally Heider Studio 3 is because it was virtually an exact replica of the famed Western Studio 3).  Maybe it was a psychological thing, Brian consiously avoiding the scene of his former glories.

Brian cut the "California Feeling" demo in Western, with Chuck, in fall 1974. Prior to that his last Western session was for the Smiley Smile version of "Vegetables", 6/7/67 (although Bruce held a solo-ish session there for "Bluebirds" 9/29/67 and Dennis cut "Tune #L" there 11/28/67. Wasn't "Loop De Loop" worked on at Western too ?)

Yes, but without Brian. 

I distinctly recall someone saying the AFM sheets weren't 100% reliable. And their initials weren't CK... 

[Mikie]

Hey C-man, how's the Carl & The Passions sessions coming along? Been looking forward to that for a coupla years now - are you about done with it? 

[DonnyL]

The sessions were done on a patched-together setup which included a rather odd choice of a radio broadcast board instead of a true mixing board. I have a photo of that same model board somewhere from a similar discussion years ago, and it's not what you'd go to for recording music but again it seemed to be a rush job.

I'd be very interested in seeing that photo and/or knowing what make and model radio board it was!

[Andrew G. Doe]

The sessions were done on a patched-together setup which included a rather odd choice of a radio broadcast board instead of a true mixing board. I have a photo of that same model board somewhere from a similar discussion years ago, and it's not what you'd go to for recording music but again it seemed to be a rush job.

I'd be very interested in seeing that photo and/or knowing what make and model radio board it was!

It was a Gates Dualux like this one, I do believe.

[guitarfool2002]

The sessions were done on a patched-together setup which included a rather odd choice of a radio broadcast board instead of a true mixing board. I have a photo of that same model board somewhere from a similar discussion years ago, and it's not what you'd go to for recording music but again it seemed to be a rush job.

I'd be very interested in seeing that photo and/or knowing what make and model radio board it was!

It was a Gates Dualux like this one, I do believe.

Thanks for the color photo, I had not seen that before! That's the one, and thanks for the name - couldn't remember what that board was called.

Smiley Smile was recorded with gear begged, borrowed, and definitely rented, and it's actually quite a story to have an album using swimming pools and showers for echo chambers and all sorts of mismatched equipment while also using something as expensive and high-tech at that time as the ELTRO tape-speed device and all kinds of hi-fi Neumann mics and whatnot. A real contradiction.

I think if that album were ever remixed - which is probably impossible due to the way Jim Lockert assembled the final mixes of the songs in sections - the sound quality would surprise a lot of people who think of it as "lo fi"...which it is, but anyway, some of the organ textures and vocals are very warm and detailed recordings.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

I don't think Brian used Western inbetween SMiLE and 15 Big Ones.  Which is interesting, come to think of it...the other guys occasionally did, and Brian still sometimes worked at Gold Star, and Wally Heider (which in itself is interesing:  the reason it was called Wally Heider Studio 3 is because it was virtually an exact replica of the famed Western Studio 3).  Maybe it was a psychological thing, Brian consiously avoiding the scene of his former glories.

Brian cut the "California Feeling" demo in Western, with Chuck, in fall 1974. Prior to that his last Western session was for the Smiley Smile version of "Vegetables", 6/7/67 (although Bruce held a solo-ish session there for "Bluebirds" 9/29/67 and Dennis cut "Tune #L" there 11/28/67. Wasn't "Loop De Loop" worked on at Western too ?)

Yes, but without Brian. 

I distinctly recall someone saying the AFM sheets weren't 100% reliable. And their initials weren't CK... 

[c-man]

Hey C-man, how's the Carl & The Passions sessions coming along? Been looking forward to that for a coupla years now - are you about done with it? 

Nope.   

[Custom Machine]

Here is a great piece from 2005 that tells of the '67 Hawaii mobile recordings in great detail, as much detail as anything perhaps...and also includes a few questions I had posted to the author back then and had forgotten about. I also forgot Bill Halverson was the lead engineer in Hawaii...and notice the mention of "Diamondhead" which would soon be the title of a rather awesome instrumental on Friends.

http://wallyheider.com/wordpress/2005/03/recording-the-beach-boys-in-hawaii/

A fascinating read.  Thanks C-man, it's great to see first hand accounts  ... and, on a personal note, congrats!

[guitarfool2002]

Here is a great piece from 2005 that tells of the '67 Hawaii mobile recordings in great detail, as much detail as anything perhaps...and also includes a few questions I had posted to the author back then and had forgotten about. I also forgot Bill Halverson was the lead engineer in Hawaii...and notice the mention of "Diamondhead" which would soon be the title of a rather awesome instrumental on Friends.

http://wallyheider.com/wordpress/2005/03/recording-the-beach-boys-in-hawaii/

A fascinating read.  Thanks C-man, it's great to see first hand accounts  ... and, on a personal note, congrats!

I'm not C-man, but we do share the same first name. 

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

The sessions were done on a patched-together setup which included a rather odd choice of a radio broadcast board instead of a true mixing board. I have a photo of that same model board somewhere from a similar discussion years ago, and it's not what you'd go to for recording music but again it seemed to be a rush job.

I'd be very interested in seeing that photo and/or knowing what make and model radio board it was!

It was a Gates Dualux like this one, I do believe.

Thanks for the color photo, I had not seen that before! That's the one, and thanks for the name - couldn't remember what that board was called.

Smiley Smile was recorded with gear begged, borrowed, and definitely rented, and it's actually quite a story to have an album using swimming pools and showers for echo chambers and all sorts of mismatched equipment while also using something as expensive and high-tech at that time as the ELTRO tape-speed device and all kinds of hi-fi Neumann mics and whatnot. A real contradiction.

I think if that album were ever remixed - which is probably impossible due to the way Jim Lockert assembled the final mixes of the songs in sections - the sound quality would surprise a lot of people who think of it as "lo fi"...which it is, but anyway, some of the organ textures and vocals are very warm and detailed recordings.

I think remixes of Smiley Smile and Wild Honey would shock most people.  I have had the good fortune to hear some stereo mixes of some songs from Wild Honey and Smiley Smile, and of course there are the Hawthorne ones as well, but the multis are crisp and very hi-fi at times.  Sparkling stuff that screams for remixes.

[Myk Luhv]

Someone -- I'm thinking y'all insiders who post here plus the rank-and-file -- should agitate for a complete BBs catalogue remix. Would it be worthwhile to do it for material up to and including Pet Sounds? In any case, I think it would definitely benefit the post-1966 material...

(Yeah, I know. Not even pipe-dream-level wishing. Sigh.)

[Dunderhead]

It needs to happen!
I love the Wild Honey/Smiley Smile mixes but the songs I've heard in stereo have been great too. I wish they would just release the lion's share of the unheard material. They could even release it Radiohead style and I'm sure everyone here would give enough to make it worth their while.

[DonnyL]

did they mix the record on the Gates or was a "real" studio booked?  those types of radio boards don't usually have echo sends, EQ, etc ...