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Author Topic: The Old School Memphis Drum Sound  (Read 39437 times)

DeluxeReverb

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Re: The Old School Memphis Drum Sound
« Reply #30 on: April 12, 2006, 10:58:55 AM »
Of course, Willie Mitchell is still making records in Memphis, and using Steve Potts on drums. Steve also is the drummer in Booker T. and the MGs and plays with Wynonna Judd. I have been his tech for the past four or five years on the Judd gig. Wonderful guy, amazing drummer. Check out his drumming on the last Robben Ford record, and on the new Cat Power.
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Tom Spaulding
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Caught Up In The Fable

daniel

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Re: The Old School Memphis Drum Sound
« Reply #31 on: April 12, 2006, 11:53:26 AM »
hey deluxe,
what records are you talking about that willie mitchell has made in the last couple of years?
-daniel
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RMoore

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Re: The Old School Memphis Drum Sound
« Reply #32 on: July 22, 2006, 05:54:05 PM »
Just been listening virtually non-stop to Al Green 'Greatest Hits' for 2 weeks,

Sure is interesting to listen to these trax with the previous info in the mind's eye,

That incredible DRY sound and almost eccentricly (sp?) low and splashy snare,

Awesome! Thnx again Terry for sharing the behind the scenes info,

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People's Republic of Ryan

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By the end of today, another day is gone forever. You will never get it back.
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wwittman

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Re: The Old School Memphis Drum Sound
« Reply #33 on: July 22, 2006, 06:05:05 PM »
What strikes me as interesting is that an RE20 in the bass drum, and 84 on the snare, 2 87's for the rest of the kit.. and probably a discrete desk... and certainly Ludwig snare drums../

these are exactly the things I used on records both then and now, and in studios in London and New York, and yet no one would have said "hey look! the Memphis drum sound!"

proving that mics and consoles have VERY little to do with it.

it's the drummer, the tuning, the music, the room, and the engineer

or really, it's EVERYTHING... the sum that matters.

you can't get there by thinking in terms of ingredients as much as knowing the style of cooking.
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William Wittman
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Michael Greene

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Re: The Old School Memphis Drum Sound
« Reply #34 on: July 22, 2006, 09:59:30 PM »
dubrichie wrote on Wed, 12 April 2006 07:55

anybody know if those purdy videos are available anywhere on dvd?

my vcr croaked a while ago and im damned if im gonna buy another one for purdie.

probably worth it though!

regards,

richie.

I don't know if they are the same ones but there are some great video's of Bernard up on YouTube.

Just do a search under his name or drummer.

I agree.  His passion and surprise is just amazing to watch.  His groove is beyond compare.  I watch these over and over just to get myself going some mornings.  Hell I am not even a drummer.  Its just fun to watch someone with that much spirit!!!1

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Michael Greene

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Re: The Old School Memphis Drum Sound
« Reply #35 on: July 22, 2006, 10:02:29 PM »
wwittman wrote on Sat, 22 July 2006 16:05

What strikes me as interesting is that an RE20 in the bass drum, and 84 on the snare, 2 87's for the rest of the kit.. and probably a discrete desk... and certainly Ludwig snare drums../

these are exactly the things I used on records both then and now, and in studios in London and New York, and yet no one would have said "hey look! the Memphis drum sound!"

proving that mics and consoles have VERY little to do with it.

it's the drummer, the tuning, the music, the room, and the engineer

or really, it's EVERYTHING... the sum that matters.

you can't get there by thinking in terms of ingredients as much as knowing the style of cooking.


Very well put and another great example of why all of our stuff sounds different.  We all use similar mic's and set ups but we never sound the same.  I use a similar set up most of the time and with each drummer it sounds totally different.

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Michael Greene

compasspnt

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Re: The Old School Memphis Drum Sound
« Reply #36 on: July 22, 2006, 11:34:07 PM »
index.php/fa/3163/0/


The Man, his Snare, and his most excellent cohorts.

As seen in my about-to-be-released book.
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maxdimario

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Re: The Old School Memphis Drum Sound
« Reply #37 on: July 23, 2006, 08:07:31 AM »
I once saw purdie in a 'master class' type of thing.
he spend the first half of the class tuning the rented drums down pitchwise and the only thing I remember him saying was that one should always hold the sticks tightly.. and then the sticks flew out of his hands a couple of times.

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Joe Black

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Re: The Old School Memphis Drum Sound
« Reply #38 on: July 23, 2006, 09:25:53 AM »
Terry wrote:
"At Hi Studio, where they did Al Green and some other great ones, the drummer was...Al Jackson again!  .....there was always a conga player playing along (Howard Grimes), "doubling" the bass drum and snare, and playing fours and eights."

Besides the Al Green stuff, was this conga technique used on anyone elses recordings. Is this a common technique for making the drums sound 'different' or adding more groove to the song or both? Any other Recording Engineers use this, if so, why?
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maxdimario

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Re: The Old School Memphis Drum Sound
« Reply #39 on: July 23, 2006, 10:20:28 AM »
how about calf heads? were they still in use?
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MI

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Re: The Old School Memphis Drum Sound
« Reply #40 on: July 23, 2006, 10:45:21 AM »
wwittman wrote on Sat, 22 July 2006 18:05

What strikes me as interesting is that an RE20 in the bass drum, and 84 on the snare, 2 87's for the rest of the kit.. and probably a discrete desk... and certainly Ludwig snare drums../

these are exactly the things I used on records both then and now, and in studios in London and New York, and yet no one would have said "hey look! the Memphis drum sound!"

proving that mics and consoles have VERY little to do with it.

it's the drummer, the tuning, the music, the room, and the engineer

or really, it's EVERYTHING... the sum that matters.

you can't get there by thinking in terms of ingredients as much as knowing the style of cooking.


Well said Mr W. This is so true. The musicians in those days worked, ate, and pretty much slept in the same place. They got to know each other so well and played off each other. No matter what tape machine, mics, console or whatever instrument you use,
the fact remains, those records sound the way they do because of the people playing them, and the team on the other side of the glass.

I remember watching the Funk Brother film, and IIRC Jack Ashford saying on several occasions discussion of the Motown sound came up with outsiders, and the outsiders always said, "It's the studio's walls and the wood on the dirt ground" or "it was the equipment" etc...and J.A. replied, "No one ever said - It WAS the Funk Brothers, no one ever gave credit to the musicians"
I'm sure Mr. Olhsson could tell us all about that!

MI
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leonardo valvassori

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Re: The Old School Memphis Drum Sound
« Reply #41 on: July 23, 2006, 03:08:29 PM »
Hi Terry,
I wanna know about the book.
I'm one of those guys who still likes to read books.
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Leonardo Valvassori

Bob Olhsson

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Re: The Old School Memphis Drum Sound
« Reply #42 on: July 23, 2006, 06:11:49 PM »
maxdimario wrote on Sun, 23 July 2006 09:20

how about calf heads? were they still in use?

I sure never saw any in a studio.
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compasspnt

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Re: The Old School Memphis Drum Sound
« Reply #43 on: July 23, 2006, 06:17:12 PM »
Bob Olhsson wrote on Sun, 23 July 2006 18:11

maxdimario wrote on Sun, 23 July 2006 09:20

how about calf heads? were they still in use?

I sure never saw any in a studio.



Nor did I.

Leonardo Valvassori wrote on Sun, 23 July 2006 15:08

Hi Terry,
I wanna know about the book.
I'm one of those guys who still likes to read books.




I will fill you in on the book in about a week.

Thanks.
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maxim

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Re: The Old School Memphis Drum Sound
« Reply #44 on: July 23, 2006, 10:53:04 PM »
leonardo wrote:

"I'm one of those guys who still likes to read books"

you freak

i'm waiting til it comes out on itunes video
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