In the surrounding tutorials we show you how to recreate a1960s vocal chain, Revolver drum setup and Abbey Road bass sound using hardware from Chandler Ltd, which accurately mimics the sound of the REDD and TG series of consoles and the UAD Fairchild 660 plug-in – a faithful reproduction of the sound of the most revered limiter/compressor of all.įurther tips for Abbey Road authenticity can be found by checking out Waves’ superb series of Abbey Road software. This sound can be heard on the Abbey Road album itself, as well as Pink Floyd classics such as The Dark Side Of The Moon and Wish You Were Here. The replacement solid-state TG12345 consoles, developed to facilitate eight- and 16-track recording, sounded cleaner and more ‘hi-fi’, if less characterful in the midrange. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and the ‘White Album’, as well as the first couple of Pink Floyd LPs. Up until the end of 1968, the valve-driven REDD consoles were used, imparting their warm, punchy and harmonically rich character to the sound of albums such as Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. While the continuous search for new and innovative sounds – both by the studio staff and artists such as The Beatles and Pink Floyd – ensured that Abbey Road Studios maintained its state-of-the-art reputation, the studios’ basic sonic character can be divided into two distinct halves. In any case, the key to the unique Abbey Road reverb sound involves methods that can be emulated with almost any reverb device, as we’ll show you. While this particular reverberant space has not been emulated, the EMT plates which were also frequently used are more commonly available. One ambient effect that was important to the classic Abbey Road sound was the famous echo chamber heard on many of the studios’ hit records. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, currently celebrating its 50th anniversary (head to the MusicTech website to read our in-depth feature), were conducted in all three studios, with little resultant difference in sound and atmosphere. However, it’s worth remembering there were three studios – with vastly differing dimensions and acoustics – used by the ‘pop’ engineers, and the close-mic’ing techniques developed during this period largely negated the influence of the studio space.
Of course, the unique sound of Abbey Road’s studio ambience can’t be so easily replicated. Nowadays, however, that classic Abbey Road sound can be achieved, both with authentic valve-driven hardware and painstakingly crafted software. For decades, engineers craved the almost impossible opportunity to achieve this sound, but without success. Page was the man responsible for the development of EMI’s REDD series of mixing consoles and the REDD.51 was key to the creation of the classic Abbey Road sound of the 1960s.
Indeed, in November 1962 – one month after the release of the first Beatles single – senior engineer Len Page sent an internal memo urging: “Much more attention should be given to the production of gimmicks and special effects, especially for ‘pop’ recording.” While this formal atmosphere did exist for a number of years, an appetite for innovation was always present and actively encouraged. Much has been written about the studio’s supposedly staid attitude towards pop recording in the 1960s, with producers required to wear jackets and ties, while the engineers identified themselves by the colour of their overalls – white for the recording staff and brown for the technical and maintenance crew. When, in 1969, the biggest band on the planet – The Beatles – decided to name their final recorded album after the studio that had been their creative workplace for seven years, its place in the public consciousness was assured. Abbey Road Studios is arguably the most famous recording facility in the world.