sound

Phil Spector's Wall of Sound.

In analyzing various techniques of mixing music for recordings, it makes me think about how producers create a recording style based on what they believe sounds the best. The Wall of Sound was one such idea, invented by Spector and used throughout his recordings in the 60's. Was he a mad scientist?

This is how it worked:

Microphones in the recording studio captured the sound, which was then transmitted to an echo chamber—a basement room outfitted with speakers and microphones. The signal from the studio would be played through the speakers and would reverberate around the room, being picked up by the microphones. The echo-laden sound was then channeled back to the control room, where it was transferred to tape.

The natural reverberation and echo from the hard walls of the room gave his productions their distinctive quality and resulted in a rich and complex sound when played on AM radio, with an impressive depth rarely heard in mono recordings.

When was the last time you listened to music on an AM radio station?

AM radio signals can be severely disrupted in large urban centres by metal structures, tall buildings and sources of Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) and electrical noise, such as electrical motors, fluorescent lights, or lightning. As a result, AM radio in many countries has lost its dominance as a music broadcasting service, and in many cities is now relegated to news, sports, religious and talk radio stations.

The Wall of Sound technique dealt with the limitations of mono recording and AM radio broadcasting by giving the listener the illusion of depth.

Spector heads to court for a retrial of his murder case.

Music is still too loud.