Over 800 books have been written about The Beatles. One of the most convincing is probably Brian Kehew and Kevin Ryan’s “Recording The Beatles” (Curvebender Publications, 2006). In their 500-page book, they tell the story, among many other things, of the mixing consoles, from REDD 37 to REDD 51 and to TG12345, tables, with tubes and transistors, that influenced greatly to the famous Beatles sound.
When EMI entered the recording business, the sound material produced was mainly classical music. Recording was first done in mono, later in stereo directly onto a tape. EMI had a grand vision of complete self-sufficiency also in terms of recording electronics. To realize this vision, the company had a so-called EMI LAB unit, which was responsible for the development of all the electronic equipment that affected the operation of the studio. At first, the LAB built everything itself. Later, it was understood that it made sense to acquire some of the equipment from outside the company. This was the case for microphones and compressors, for example, which were heavily modified to be more suitable for Abbey Road.
REDD 3.7
Perhaps the greatest achievements of EMI LAB were the BTR tape recorders (mono and stereo) and the REDD and TG soundboards. The BTR and REDD (Recording Engineering Development Department) were designed to work strongly ‘hand in hand’. When REDD entered studios after the mid-1950s (REDD.1 in 1955 and REDD.17 in 1958), four tracks were perfectly sufficient for the production methods of the time. Technically, REDD represented the absolute top of the world of its time. REDD was never designed with commerciality in mind. The board came for EMI’s own use, and not much thought was given to costs when developing it. Competition was already fierce at the time (e.g. from Decca), and the aim was to produce the best possible audio technology regardless of price. Top sound was of course also an advantage when competing for customers.
ABOVE: REDD.37: EMI ordered the REDD.17 console from Peter Burkowitz, who had designed the multi-channel CLG console for EMI Electrola Germany in 1954. Instead of the old Siemens V76 amplifiers, the REDD.17 had smaller V72 amplifiers. The REDD.37 was a four-track follow-up to the REDD.17. Three REDD.37 consoles were manufactured, at least the first of which was in Germany.
Above: The tube-powered REDD.37 was primarily designed for recording classical music. Its logistics were largely based on stereo pair recordings. There was almost no panning. This led to, among other things, the hard right/left panning that can be heard on The Beatles’ records. An option for panning was the so-called stereo spread (shuffle), which could be used to spread the stereo image slightly.
The recordings proceeded largely within the constraints of the REDD and BTR. The tape was first recorded with the backing tracks, over which the solo parts were recorded. The L(eft) and R(ight) information was returned from the BTR to the table and dictated the panorama.
REDD 5.1
The tube (EF804S) preamps for the REDD 37, Siemens V72S, came from Germany – very expensive production. For cost reasons, for the later version, the REDD.51, EMI developed its own preamp, the REDD47, with slightly different tubes (EF86, E88CC). However, the general opinion among recording engineers was that the earlier German model was superior to EMI’s own amplifier, especially in terms of usability, but also in terms of sound.
Although the REDD.37 has become known as The Beatles’ mixing console, it was actually used quite rarely in The Beatles’ sessions. From the second LP onwards, the albums were mixed mainly with the REDD.51, which was the real “Holy Grail” of The Beatles’ albums. It has been calculated that the REDD.51 has been used on 85% of all The Beatles albums and more than half of the albums were mixed entirely with it. All the songs on the Let it be album were recorded with a combination of both desks.
REDD.51: The more rounded REDD.51 is otherwise similar in structure and wiring diagram to the REDD.37, but the amplifiers were EMI’s own production, the REDD.47. Only three REDD.51s were built.
The REDD’s EQ was minimalist: bass and treble. Later, for example, on the Let it be album, legendary producer-recorder Glynn Johns got gray hair because of the REDD’s inadequate EQ. However, the REDD’s EQ was considered very musical. EMI LAB developed replacement modules (e.g. Presence Box) to fix the shortcomings of the REDD’s EQ. Neuman’s EQ cutters were also used. Recording engineer Geoff Emerick also utilized the semi-parametric curve bender equalizer module used in mastering during The Beatles sessions. Only in these sessions was the curve bender allowed!
Another advantage of the REDD was its incredible headroom and beautifully distorted preamp.
Naturally, the REDD did not include a compressor, so Altec and Fairchild compressors were used extensively. The bass, drums and percussion group were normally used on tracks one and two. In the beginning, Altec compressors were preferred on these tracks. The Fairchild was then used on tracks three and four, where vocals and solos were recorded. This arrangement was mostly used in the mixing of The Beatles albums. The arrangement changed with Geoff Emerick, who also began to favor Fairchild on drums.
Since the REDD only had four inputs (plus one extra), the LAB developed a box that could be connected to multiple microphones (4), combined the signals and routed to one of the REDD inputs. Ringo’s drums were often recorded using this method. Of course, this meant that the EQ or distortion could not be manipulated on separate tracks, but all the mics were treated as one track. However, the box did allow the use of multiple microphones.
When Abbey Road switched to 4-track technology, the shortcomings of the REDD began to become painfully apparent. EMI LAB had failed in its attempt to produce a 4-track recorder to succeed the BTR, and the studio purchased the extremely expensive Studer J-37 recorders instead. Due to the logistics of the REDD, especially on the Pepper album, the so-called “reduction mixing” method was constantly used. When the Studer’s four tracks were full, a second J-37 was needed, on two of which the four-track information from the first recorder was recorded. This freed up two tracks from the new cake. However, tape noise began to become a problem. The logistical organization of the recordings was also difficult. From today’s perspective, it is almost incomprehensible how the people at Abbey Road and of course the equipment of the time managed to cope with everything. This is a testament to the professional excellence of the time and the quality of the equipment used.
The world soon began to switch to 8-track technology and The Beatles were under great pressure to acquire an eight-track recorder for Abbey Road. 3M had launched its first 8-track recorder and The Beatles coveted the device for their own sessions. However, the transistor-powered, multi-channel TG console was still in the planning stages and still months if not years away from being realized. The Beatles’ first 8-track recordings were made by combining two REDDs.
TG12345
EMI’s LAB did their best with the new console, which was supposed to bring the studio into the new decade. By the end of the 1960s, tube technology was already considered obsolete. Everyone admitted that tubes produced a great sound, but otherwise times had changed. Tubes were out and transistors were in! Tube technology was also expensive to maintain and required constant maintenance. The new TG (The Gramophone Company) console arrived at Abbey Road in 1968.
The TG12345 console was a completely different device from the REDD. Sixteen channels, a compressor on each channel and many other goodies made possible by transistor technology made the TG a top console for a while, even worldwide. What was special about the TG was still its lack of EQ – bass and treble. Perhaps the LAB thought that the use of external modules was already so ingrained in the backbone of recording engineers that nothing else was needed. The TG also had a VU meter for each channel. Despite certain characteristics, the TG was a huge leap forward for sound engineers accustomed to the REDD.
The difference the consoles made to The Beatles’ sound is most clearly evident on the Abbey Road album, which was made entirely on the TG12345 console. On Abbey Road, the sound is more clinical and distinct, more “modern”. The harmonic distortion of the REDD is conspicuous by its absence, and in its place there was “top end sparkle”, as the sound was described. Not everyone liked the sound. Emerick complained about the lack of headroom on the TG compared to the REDD. Emerick, who was used to tubes, had a habit of hitting the REDD’s preamps to achieve a certain effect. He did this especially when recording Ringo’s drums. However, the TG distorted badly, and Ringo’s drums did not have the same kick as the REDD, which made Emerick miss the old REDD. This also applied to the guitar sounds. However, the TG’s 16 channels, compressors and panning capabilities were unbeatable. With the TG, headphones were also used in recording situations. This was practically impossible when working with REDD.
Despite the TG’s built-in compressors, Altec and Fairchild were still used to a considerable extent. With the TG and 3M, The Beatles entered a new era. Recording capabilities had changed radically. The whole band no longer needed to be there to “pull the strings”, but the instruments could be recorded one at a time on their own tracks. This had a fundamentala unique influence on the sound world. Perhaps this was also a blessing, because The Beatles’ personal relationships were already at the point at which recording together would probably not have yielded anything good.
With TG and 3M, The Beatles moved to a “cleaner” sound. There were no more varispeed, phase, flanging or other studio tricks. The Beatles had been at the forefront of bringing these effects to pop music. However, by the early 1970s, those effects had largely been killed off.
After the TG12345 replaced the long-serving REDDs, the old tube desks were still used for remote recordings. In the 1970s, the desks were sadly abandoned. In British style, many great things ended up in the dustbin. Fortunately, a couple of REDDs have survived for posterity. Lenny Kravitz reportedly owns one of the surviving noblemen of British recording desks.
Brian Kehew and Kevin Ryan’s excellent book is a reminder of an important but easily forgotten thing. Every band has its own “sound”. But it is a different sound than the sound of the records, which is at least as important. That sound is the responsibility of sound engineers, whose work is often almost as much an art as the musicians’ music-making.
