The Nashville Sound

[paulman]

So I was curious as to what kind of reverb they used in RCA Studio B, which was ground zero for the "Nashville Sound" in the late '50s and '60s. Patsy Cline, Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Willie Nelson, the Everly Brothers... just a few of the many country and early rock and roll artists that recorded there. I found my answer in this really cool article that I thought ya'll might get some useful nuggets out of even if you don't care about country. I found this paragraph particularly inspiring:

"Studio B, while custom-built for RCA and state-of-the-art in many ways, still had plenty of issues and quickly hacked fixes. The frequency build-ups in parts of the room were so bad that Porter hung cheap fiberglass panels from the ceiling and marked the best, deadest spots on the floor with Xs. So if your home recording environment is less-than-ideal, don't be discouraged—just learn the particularities of your room and do what you can to mitigate problems."

So if one of the most fabled studios in history, where something like 60% of country hits from the 60's were recorded, had terrible acoustics, then maybe I can figure out how to do okay in the laundry room/cat bathroom that my studio currently inhabits.

By the way, the answer to my reverb question is EMT 140, which is the reverb I've been using for years as a UAD plugin. The article also mentions both of my Avantone mics (a tube condenser and a ribbon) as affordable ways to get that crisp, clear, smooth vocal sound Studio B is known for. So if I did want to record a song in that style, I'm a large part of the way there.

https://reverb.com/news/how-to-get-the- ... ome-studio

[JD01]

So I was curious as to what kind of reverb they used in RCA Studio B, which was ground zero for the "Nashville Sound" in the late '50s and '60s. Patsy Cline, Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Willie Nelson, the Everly Brothers... just a few of the many country and early rock and roll artists that recorded there. I found my answer in this really cool article that I thought ya'll might get some useful nuggets out of even if you don't care about country. I found this paragraph particularly inspiring:

"Studio B, while custom-built for RCA and state-of-the-art in many ways, still had plenty of issues and quickly hacked fixes. The frequency build-ups in parts of the room were so bad that Porter hung cheap fiberglass panels from the ceiling and marked the best, deadest spots on the floor with Xs. So if your home recording environment is less-than-ideal, don't be discouraged—just learn the particularities of your room and do what you can to mitigate problems."

So if one of the most fabled studios in history, where something like 60% of country hits from the 60's were recorded, had terrible acoustics, then maybe I can figure out how to do okay in the laundry room/cat bathroom that my studio currently inhabits.

By the way, the answer to my reverb question is EMT 140, which is the reverb I've been using for years as a UAD plugin. The article also mentions both of my Avantone mics (a tube condenser and a ribbon) as affordable ways to get that crisp, clear, smooth vocal sound Studio B is known for. So if I did want to record a song in that style, I'm a large part of the way there.

https://reverb.com/news/how-to-get-the- ... ome-studio

You mean we have to actually learn and practice? We can't just throw money at our problems. Shit.

[vomitHatSteve]

You mean we have to actually learn and practice? We can't just throw money at our problems. Shit.

I'm already bad at all my instruments! Being bad at recording is just so much more work!

[JD01]

You mean we have to actually learn and practice? We can't just throw money at our problems. Shit.

I'm already bad at all my instruments! Being bad at recording is just so much more work!

I concentrate on guitar. Then I'll only be truly shit once.

[Armistice]

Your studio is in the laundry, where the cat litter is? Ewwww.....

[Armistice]

One of the ways I'm reducing reflections in my studio is by wearing ugg boots, it being winter and all.

I'm sure it's making a huge difference and I feel much warmer when recording, which obviously translates to the sound.

[WhiskeyJack]

One of the ways I'm reducing reflections in my studio is by wearing ugg boots, it being winter and all.

[Armistice]

One of the ways I'm reducing reflections in my studio is by wearing ugg boots, it being winter and all.

I still have the stomach of a teen...

[rayc]

I have in the house slippers, around the exterior of the house slippers and actual doing things boots.
I have the stomach of a teen though somewhat distended.

[paulman]

You mean we have to actually learn and practice? We can't just throw money at our problems. Shit.

You sure can. I bought a harmonica set, now I sound way better at everything else I play by comparison!

[paulman]

Your studio is in the laundry, where the cat litter is? Ewwww.....

Well the litter box is actually in a bathroom that we don't use, but yeah. That's the least of my problems with that room, though.

[vomitHatSteve]

One of the ways I'm reducing reflections in my studio is by wearing ugg boots, it being winter and all.

I'm sure it's making a huge difference and I feel much warmer when recording, which obviously translates to the sound.

To me it sounds muddy. Maybe you should move out of the mud room