Abbey Road 50th Anniversary Discussion. What Can We Expect?

By that logic the stereo mix of several Beatles tracks (like Rain) should not even exist since it was made years after the initial mix.

 

I'm OK with that. See my edited comment above. Not harshing on you. Just don't like rewritten history.

 

We have different thresholds there. I hardly thinks a new mix of a song by any band is rewriting history. Adding new tamborines and suchlike would be, but no one is coming into any houses to replace your media containing the vintage mix with a contemporary one.

 

I love how Giles brought up those cello bits in HCTS ever so slightly. Made them more noticeable. Nice! (right after "sun, sun, sun, here comes..." )

 

I totally agree. The Love remixes are GREAT. Too bad these recent remixes are nowhere close to the sound of Love. Since 2006, I had been salivating of over the idea of having the ENTIRE Beatles catalog remixed to sound like it does on Love. I was positively giddy when they announced the 1 remix, my gateway into the Beatles. Then, I actually heard it. "Oh no," I thought, "I hope they do a better job with Sgt. Pepper!" Nope. So, I gave up. I'm perfectly happy with the outtakes. That's all I listen to from these box sets now. Bring on Abbey Road!!

What I'd really like is newly-remastered original stereo mixes with NO limiting and NO narrowing of the stereo image.

 

I think--with modern technology--they could improve the sound of AB quite a bit. I know it still sounds good--but still.

I've always thought Rubber Soul and Revolver would really benefit from a remix. I hope that will happen.

Let it Be has the most room to grow. First, I don't think all the best takes were used on any one edition. Second, I think the sound has a lot of room for improvement. I think they should attempt to recreate the original idea as much as they can. Call it Get Back, use the Blue album cover, pick the best takes and improve the sound.

 

I hope they remaster the Glynn John’s second version. Not that Naked crap lol

 

I haven't heard Glynn John's second version. How are his take choices? And does it include Don't Let Me Down?

 

You actually sound like you know what you are doing!

Starting a mix in mono is what a lot of pros do. (not all.) I get a good mono mix first with no EQ or effects then i ruin it with multi-band compression. Whoops! Thats Chris and his brother. I hope their 3348HRs hold out. I have no idea where they are getting their DASH tape from.)

Putting fun and joke aside.....No compression.
Then if necessary EQ will go on to separate stuff like kick and bass. Or to separate piano and Xylophone. Then when I get a perfect mono mix that's when I start panning. Compression will only go on if necessary. Which is not too often.
And effects last. And then panning effect returns. Many amatures don't realize you are not just panning tracks. In a modern mix you are also panning effect returns. In even a 48 track mix 12 effect send/return loops are not uncommon. When Rush mixed their Fly By Night and Caress Of Steel albums all they had were four effect sends. Back in 1975 that was a lot. The EMI TG12345 Mark IV board only had three. ( Recorded and mix Dark Side Of The Moon. Sold at auction last year for $2.25 million USD.)

For surround mixes it's the same. Except that with a 360 degree sound field plus two extra channels I find it mostly unnecessary to use compression or a lot of eq. Most surround mixers now days treat the extra channels like dessert or extra spice to pump up a stereo mix. Mistake? I mix like I am doing a early 70's quad mix. I have 360 degrees to pan things.

There is a good reason 5.1 hasn't taken off. (And for those who disagree - in the industry if a 5.1 mix sells 10 000 copies it has done well.) Most modern 5.1 mixes are flat and dull. They are stereo with some occasionally stuff in the surrounds. Stereo wowed people in the 50's: "Wow, half of the orchestra is on the left and the other part is over here on the right." You can call it a gimmick but stereo took over and is still here. 5.1 needs to also impress and wow.

I will put a stereo piano behind me, a tambourine to the rear right and the effect return for the tambourine rear left. So when you hear the tambourine rear right there is a slapback delay a fraction of a second later bouncing to the hard rear left; mono keyboards hard front left and hard front right; kick might go in the low effect channel . the kick will take up a lot of headroom, even in a 360 mix. Lead vocal in the center channel (not a good idea really), rhythm guitar 1- left side (90 degrees), rhythm guitar two - right side (90 degrees.); If I have four lead guitars playing the same thing:
Guitar 1 - half way front left
Guitar 2 - half way front right.
Guitar 3 - halfway between hard front left and sides (75 degrees)
Guitar 4 - halfway between hard front right and sides. (75 degrees)
stereo toms - They will get a wide 180 degree stereo or be panned 360 degrees. The 360 tom pan is a bit excessive but it's a favorite of mine. When the drummer does a fill the toms go for a ride around the circle. The more tom mikes the better. To my knowledge no other 5.1 mixers does this. Let me know if I am wrong.
Ad lib vocal parts will get panned randomly around the 360 soundstage.
Horns - rear dead center

Strings (mono) - A little bit off center
Or
Double bass and cellos - Hard front left
Violins and violas - Hard front right

Back ground vocals
Track 1 - halfway between hard rear right and side (135 degrees)
Track 2 - halfway between hard rear left and side (135 degrees)

Bongos or congos - hard rear right
High hat - in a 360 drum mix the high hat will go 90 degrees (right side). In a 180 degree drum mix the High hat will be mixed out to the front far left or right (75 degrees).

Snare - always the center. Not center channel though. Although the effect return for the snare might be hard rear left, or front right side (90 degrees)

If they are two tracks of kicks - Hard front left and hard front right. They would be in the middle most of the mix and then automated to pan out on double rolls to front hard Left and Right. But it depends on the situation.

That isn't the whole mix. But as you see the whole 360 is used. I don't see a 5.1 mix as stereo with some surrounds thrown in if you're a good boy and eat all your vegetables. (O.k. what did I just say?) But I am told by others that the way I mix 5.1 is radical.

In 2012 Totem choose us to do their 5.1 demo disk for their Flag ship 5.1 system. A $50 000 top of the line Totem Dolby Digital Pro certified (not THX) 5.1 system. Total frequency response: 15 - 30 000hz +-2db. My bizarre (was he on mushrooms when he mixed it?) 5.1 mixes caught Totem's eye. And yes, Totem makes subwoofer. But they ain't cheap kiddies!
But after 19 months I our studio received this letter:

"...The Seven Nations 5.1 demo Blu-Ray
disk was very successful in demonstrating
the fine detail, great soundstage and
infrasonic bass of our Flagship Surround
system. 800 units have sold already in only
18 months. And with every sale a copy of
your excellent demo disk.

unfortunately Totem has had to discontinue
demonstrating our system with your demo
disk due to the unhealthy level of
infrasonic bass that seems to be on your
demo. The RTA shows dangerous levels
below 30hz reaching down to 8hz.

The Totem PRSUB-1 is flat down to 15 hz
but can reach levels as low as 10hz. The
Seven Nations Demo caused migraines and
intestinal problems for clients when played
demo at SPL 95 db or higher.

Due to the aforementioned events Totem
Totem will not be renewing it's contract
with Seven Nations Studio.



Thank you, Director of Sales for Southern
Ontario for Totem, Bradley Cooper...."


Our response was WHAT THE ORGANIC FUDGE! Is this a joke? It must be a joke?
The mix was from a Progressive Jazz/ Rock band - The Bald Eagles. The bassist plays this 6 string bass. And on top of that he has these bass pedals that go even lower. I though this would be the perfect music to demonstrate their Flagship 5.1 system. almost 2 years prior Mr. Copper said, "I want the demo to blow them away!" Well, that's what you got dude...
Anyway the whole Totem thing just makes me angry!

 

I doubt they even listen to them. In any case, a very limited target.

 

You sound like a guy who knows what he is doing even more! If you want to you can PM me and I can give you a link to my surround mixes. I am most proud of my yellow submarine and hello goodbye mixes! Yeah this is just a fun side passion for me. But I love audio. I am really an artist/graphic designer. I can give you a link to my google drive where I keep all my secret Beatles files and projects.

 

exactly!

 

"Goodbye" was always intended for Mary Hopkins, rather than a Beatles album — so if the cut was offered for Anthology, it could have been rejected easily, especially since the session with Donovan in 1968 isn't as vital to the Beatles story as the Esher demos and White Album sessions.
Personally, I'd put it on a Wings anthology, along with more of those songs written on driving days with Linda before we go into McCartney sessions proper.

That said, I expect "Come And Get It" to be on Abbey Road: 50.
I also expect it would open with "The Ballad Of John And Yoko" before going into the home demo from George of "Old Brown Shoe" (heard on Anthology) and the album sessions proper.

 

I’d fully expect “Come and Get It”

 

Ringo's getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this summer, right outside the Capitol Studios building.
Sirius XM talked about it this morning.
Could that be it?

Choba B CCCP was originally an eleven track LP in the USSR. When it sold out, it was expanded into 13 for the reissue, though one plant erred with its sides and ended up with a rare 12 track variant.
The strange thing on that release is the CD matching the LP, since it's not what Paul did with Press To Play or Flowers In The Dirt, which were also shorter on LP than CD.

 

I am already commenting at home on this release to soften the heart of my wife and she realize that it is indispensable for me. Just so I can import the "Abbey Road". I did this with Vinyl Mono Box; Sgt. Pepper Super Deluxe Box and double vinyl set; White Album Super DeLuxe Box and Vinyl Box; and Next, Abbey Road Super Deluxe Box and double vinyl set.

 

Sorry but you are incorrect regarding the single.
They were counting the A and B side of Strawberry Fields / Penny Lane separately in the UK: It is in George Martin's Pepper book! He regrets issuing Strawberry Fields /Penny Lane on the same single because in the U.K. they were counting Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane separately. People would come in and ask for which one. If someone came in and asked for Pennylane single then some guy ticked it off in some book at the store as a Penny Lane single. And they appeared separately on the charts. That's why it didn't go to number 1. The sales were split. Geoge Martin has mentioned this many times.

When i get home I will go into The Summer of love: Making of Sgt. Pepper and quote the passage to you from the book. I know they are a lot of rumours and wierd stuff about The Beatles but I didn't make this up. I have read this in his book a dozen times.

 

An Abbey Road 50th box combined with the BTTE and LT boxes would be a completely successful year in my book

 

He's wrong. A double A side that got to no.2 (together).

 

They recorded live to two tracks. Stereo mixes were either Hard Left - Center - Hard Right.or Hard Right - Hard Left. It is balance. One track one the left and another on the right. If they had mixed it at ten and two o'clock customers would have returned it saying it was mono..Most people had consoles with speakers that were three feet apart. Millions of stereo mixes were mixed just like this. It seems odd to us today because we are used to modern stereo mixes with kick and bass in the centre.

 

Wow, that's a nice interpretation. I almost wished the song was mixed like that to make it true, but it isn't: George's vocals start on the right and stay there the whole song.

You're probably confusing it with You Never Give Me Your Money.

It's nothing like what Lucas does. He inserts extraneous elements in the movies. Also, he made the new versions replace the old ones.

A remix would be more like tweaking the look of an original movie, like what Nolan did with 2001. Debatable, but far from the drastic changes in Star Wars.

 

with a little luck...

 

Confused member? Who is wrong? Me or the The other resident. I know it's a Double A side that went to number 2. I was explaining why. It is straight from the mouth of Sir George Martin.

 

I don't need bass in the center. I love the stereo Beatles For Sale, and it has drums and bass to the left mostly. They are just well balanced stereo mixes.
I know the first two albums were recorded in two tracks, and I know George Martin was just thinking about the mono mix when he separated the elements like that. But still, it makes for a very poor stereo mix.

 

George Martin got it wrong. Or maybe his point was that the airplay was split between the 2 sides. They did not chart separately in the UK.