![]() ![]() The other problem arose when we tried to get Ampex to give us their 207 tape on 14-inch reels. Ron came up with a solution which would also solve another problem down the road: He built a precision 60-Hz crystal oscillator we drove a McIntosh 275 vacuum-tube amplifier and picked off a tap on the output transformer, which would give us 120 volts with enough current to run the capstan motor at our precise 60 Hz/15ips, also now immune to line-frequency fluctuation. Ours was a 60-Hz machine and we were going to 50-Hz land. We were lucky it did! At around 5 am, the new machine was rolling no cables needed to be cut or spliced from the original wiring loom!Īnother obstacle was that the capstan speed in an MM1000 was derived from line frequency. When we started, Ron Wickersham was not sure all of the original cabling would work. This took place in an all-night marathon. This was not only more robust, but it was also going to allow us to run 14-inch reels. We moved all of the components of our Ampex MM1000 16-track into a video chassis that put all 16 sets of AG-440 electronics down below the transport which was then on a 45 degree angle. Each container was built around a reinforced floor, the sides and top latched on and off. This was perfect-when set back-to-back, these two rode in the top of a 747 airfreighter. A video-production company was letting go of a pair of cargo containers built for them to ship a portable video-production remote unit by airfreight. ![]() Recording Europe ’72 was a monumental task, and we came up with a great solution to building a truck which we could fly airfreight to and from Europe. Sometimes we would haul the gear to the gig in a rental truck, then unpack and build the studio for the gig in the truck, take it apart when we were done, and take it back home. We had gear, and we often built a studio at the venue in a room somewhere backstage. This was a philosophic approach, brainchild of The Bear, put together by some of the most talented engineers in the Bay Area, and the same philosophy was applied to the task of recording bands.Īlembic Recording did not have a truck to pull up to a venue. It eventually evolved into the famous Wall of Sound. It was an electronically crossed-over three-way system using McIntosh MC-75, MC-275, and MC-3500 vacuum-tube amplifiers and Ampex MX-10 vacuum-tube mixers as the front-of- house console. It had direct radiator low-frequency elements rather than horn-loaded boxes, which were the standard. The Alembic PA was the first really hi-fi approach to a live system. Fast-forward to ’67-70 and things were not much better. This approach to sound for a stadium was doomed even if all the girls did not scream. In 1964 The Beatles played at Shea Stadium using a circular array of Vox Grenadier Column speakers, a box quite similar to the Shure Vocal Master Column. The new paradigm for live sound: the Alembic PA. One can hardly mention this philosophy to recording without touching on the Alembic PA system and its unique qualities. Bay Area’s growing community of folks trying to advance the state of the art in both “live” and “recorded” sound for rock ’n’ roll. “Less is more!” This was the motto of Alembic and many of the sound artists in the S.F. Wiz now works at Skywalker Sound…he went way big league!ĭennis Wiz Leonard Europe ’72 Technical Liner Notes By Dennis Leonard This is the clearest explanation of how Alembic did live recordings that I’ve ever seen. Most of my blog is my own writing, but I asked Wiz if I could share this, and he graciously said, “yes”. You will be able to pay with a card without a PayPal Account.Here are my old friend, Dennis “Wiz” Leonard’s tech notes on the recording of the Grateful Dead’s great live album, “Europe ’72”. You can click on "Pay with credit or Visa Debit Cart". Do I need a PayPal Account to pay with PayPal?.We always recommend using FedEx because they have detailed tracking with each order they deliver. This service is very cost effect for you the customer but is the slowest service we offer. Media Mail is a cost-effective way to send vinyl, cds, dvds and cassette tapes. What is USPS Media Mail (Flat Rate Shipping) ?. ![]()
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