Anatomy of a recording session:Cutting WIBN at Gold Star

[yrplace]

With his permission, that could certainly happen.

You have my permission.

At Western they had a compressor across each buss which could be switched in as desired (and it often was) .

Mark, if you're still following along, when they switched in a compressor across a buss, do you suppose it would be something fairly light?  I'm assuming the compressors were "prototype" 1167s or something similar, and as such only had the preset ratios, 4:1, 8:1, 12:1, and 20:1.  It's so hard to tell without being able to listen to the individual tracks, but I've thought that there might be some 4:1 or even 8:1 on many of the horn tracks?  Otherwise, maybe some 4:1 with fairly generous release values?

The compresors would have been UA 175's which had a fixed 12:1 ratio or the 176 which came a bit later and had a choice of 2, 4,8 or 12:1. Both are tube comps of course. (more likely it was the 176's)

[Charles LePage @ ComicList]

Bill Pitman, Guitar

Ray Pohlman, Danelectro Bass

Is this Bill Pittman on the right?



Is Ray Pohlman in the far right of this photo, sitting down?

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

No for the Bill question, yes to the Ray one.  I couldn't find a picture of Bill Pitman online, but if you have the Chuck Granata Pet Sounds book, he's misidentified as Tommy Tedesco in one of the picture sections.

Well, I guess he is in this picture:


He's the fourth player down our left wall, in between Carol Kaye and Tommy Tedseco.

[dennyfan]

And yes, the thing that Barney plays on the intro is definitely electric.  Mark L. has referred to is as a 12-string guitar, but it sounds so "tinny", or "ring-a-dingy", that I'd go a step further...I think it's an electric bouzouki or electric mando-guitar.

I would heave a great sigh of relief if it could be pinned down definitively what it was.  The problem is, I've never experimented with amplified mandos or bouzoukis.  So I don't know what they sound like.  I've heard Bellzoukis and those pretty much sound just like electric 12-strings.  I imagine Brian would have some idea if he were asked, Larry probably wouldn't remember.  Sounds like Mar or some girl was in the booth, but who knows if Marilyn would remember such details.  Barney is gone, Jerry is still around, perhaps he could recall if pressed for more detail.  Cripes, somebody has to know!

You'll have to maintain a 24 hr vigil on the Blueboard waiting for the main man to turn up!

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

Yeah.  I bet he'd answer if he saw it, if he could remember.

[DJ M]

WOW - jaw drops open, eyes bug out, mind swirls.....

This is incredibe work, H.  Nicely done.

[Rocky]

*bump* hey guys just discovered this. what a great thread! i recently visited LA and got terribly lost on Santa Monica Blvd. We ended up stopping in a parking lot and looking at a map only to realize we were very near Hollywood blv/Capital twr, etc. When i got home and did some research i discovered that parking lot was the former site of Gold Star.Needless to say it's spooky that i picked that exact spot to stop and rest. anyways i love reading this stuff about the process. every current producer in LA should be forced to learn this stuff.