Producer Willie Mitchell reveals "secret" in recording Al Green

There a short article in the Dec. 8th issue of The New Yorker about the Reverend Al Green written by Seth Mnookin. Mr. Mnookin spoke with producer Willie Mitchell, who revealed that one of the keys to recording the Rev. Green's vocals was his use of a RCA 77DX ribbon microphone. That particular mike, that Mr. Mitchell initially labeled No. 9 when he first recorded the Rev. Green, was henceforth reserved for that use only and was recently used again for recording his vocals for the I Can't Stop album. As Mr. Mnookin explains in his article, the "delicate" sensitivity of that mike was a key to capturing all the subtleties in the wide range of the Rev. Green's voice. Link to the article:

No. 9

 

As I have said time and time again, a superb album in every respect. I love this CD, and it brings a smile to my face to hear his great singing again, just like 20 some years ago. This BETTER win some awards at the Grammy's next year.

 

I'm sold. I'll buy this CD!

 

It's definitely a goodie...

 

The RCA 77DX looks just like the mic's that David Letterman uses as a prop...

 

Thanks David for sharing that. I would have never guessed that Al Green's vocals were recorded with an RCA ribbon mic. They are wonderful mics and are beautifully designed. When I was a broadcasting major in college our department had a couple of those mics. I used to be in state of sheer terror whenever I handled one for fear of dropping it and damaging the ribbon inside. But man did I love the way it made my voice sound. The 74B model is a great mic too

 

I'm sure little Nipper would agree that the RCA 77DX captures the Reverend's voice -- from a whisper to a scream.

 

Re: Sha La La "Zipper"

I guess it doesn't bother me so much because i'm a percussionist, and it does sound too loud on a decent stereo, but it is also one of the song's "hooks".