Beatles recorded Sgt Pepper using a 4-track machines. If they didn't bounce how many tracks would they have used?

[grimtraveller]

so I took the good with the not so good.

That's because you're one of the good guys.

 

[spantini]

That's because you're one of the good guys.

Alright! I'm in the club :

 

[DM60]

I saw this interview and then remembered this thread. It doesn't answer the question, but it does give an idea of how they approached the recordings. A couple examples, they had Paul cut a word off because it was going to go into John's recorded part. The recorded the orchestra on one channel. Pretty good perspective of how they approached the recording sessions. (Grimm, I know this is old news to you )



I have to say that Geoff Emerick seems to be a pretty down to earth guy.

 

[Scott Baxendale]

I've always wondered how many tracks The Beatles would have used to get the same result without bouncing?

Beatles recorded Sgt Pepper using a 4-track machines. So focus is on that Album,

If they didn't bounce how many tracks would they have used to get the same result?

I don't mean splitting the drum mics into tracks..I mean the same recording process ( recording the basic Rhythm track to 3 tracks the bouncing etc... just removing the bounce down part..

A rough estimation would do...

That is exactly what Giles Martin did for the 50th anniversary remixes. They went back to the source tapes before any bounces and extracted all the first generation tracks and then put them into Protools to remix them without any of the degradation that occurs when bouncing three tracks to one. I think during Sgt Peppers they use two 4 track Studer machines, but I’m not sure if they were synchronized or not? I suppose there is some info regarding these remixes where you could find out how many original tracks were used in A Day In The Life or any other of the bigger production tunes.

With two 4 trk machines they could do a bounce and keep the stereo image. I started out on a 4 trk reel to reel, and at first I would bounce three down to one track then I’d have three new open tracks. Later I got a second 1/4 track stereo machine and I could record 4 tracks and then mix those to two tracks on the other machine, and I could record another track at the same time giving me 5 packs into two, then put that reel back on the 4 trk and have two more open tracks.