Johnny Cash vocal effect on "Walk the Line"

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BigRay

BigRay

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Well, Johnny is my hero, has always been for as long as I can remember. I have a similar timbre voice(deeper but not as weathered and pained sounding..unfortunately for me...man had a ton of emotion in his voice) and am a singer/songwriter in my time off. I am looking for this sort of sound that Johnny had...sounded like an echo or delay of some sort...I dont know jack about effects...Anyone know what mic(S) he used, mainly??how about on the "American" sessions??I love that Walk the Line effect though.Any help would be great...if there is one performers sound technique id like to model mine after itd be his...

Teddy
 
I don't recall exactly, but it's probably a short "slap-back" delay. That effect was very popular in that era. Many delay units will have a "slap-back" preset. If not, just add a very short delay (<50ms). If you can use VST effects, check out the Kjaerhus Classic Delay. It's free and will do what you need.
 
yeah, ive got waves diamond and wavelab 5, so it should be in there.

now ive just got to figure out what sort of gear he used...thats the sort of sound i want...
 
Just one more question, scrubs..another favorite of mine is wilco...I am a big fan of the production of their "being there" album. I was wondering what the effect was on this song on tweedys voice:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/wma-pop-up/-/B000002N7G001001/103-2845497-0849434

scrubs said:
I don't recall exactly, but it's probably a short "slap-back" delay. That effect was very popular in that era. Many delay units will have a "slap-back" preset. If not, just add a very short delay (<50ms). If you can use VST effects, check out the Kjaerhus Classic Delay. It's free and will do what you need.
Click to expand...
 
It's funny - I've always suspected that Johnny Cash simply did great things with poor vocal technique. I really like his early stuff, but I'm not sure I'd call him a great singer. An original, that's for sure!

My family sings after Thanksgiving dinner, and we tried I Walk the Line. My folks had never realized that Cash changed keys on every verse. I told them that's what makes the song.

Anyway, songs from the "I Walk the Line" (1955-58) era would likely have been recorded with an RCA 77DX ribbon mic at Sun. The slapback echo on those Sun records came from an actual physical echo; there was a microphone at the end of a long stairwell, or something like that.
 
He had a voice unlike any other. Full of emotion and pain.
 
all analog tube reel-to-reel tape echo at about 114ms. No plug is going to give the subtle decay like a real tape echo...
 
Johnny Cash's sound

Sir,
Cash recorded with both an RCA 77 (expensive) and a shure 555 (inexpensive)
at Sun Studios. For the slap-back echo, two ampex 350 tape decks were used , with a few millieseconds delay between them. You can check out the
exact set-up, with pictures by going to the Scotty Moore website, and follow the links to Sun Studios.


ltdave32
 
Bless your soul, thanks.

ltdave32 said:
Sir,
Cash recorded with both an RCA 77 (expensive) and a shure 555 (inexpensive)
at Sun Studios. For the slap-back echo, two ampex 350 tape decks were used , with a few millieseconds delay between them. You can check out the
exact set-up, with pictures by going to the Scotty Moore website, and follow the links to Sun Studios.


ltdave32
Click to expand...
 
yeah love that slapback sound...

i got a few of the original Sun 45's from working at a jukebox place...they threw records away in the thousands.... i grabbed a handful of the Cash Sun labels, Get Rythm, Walk the line...a couple others. heavy slapback...

the simplicity of 3 pc. and thumpin' rythm.
 
COOLCAT said:
yeah love that slapback sound...

i got a few of the original Sun 45's from working at a jukebox place...they threw records away in the thousands.... i grabbed a handful of the Cash Sun labels, Get Rythm, Walk the line...a couple others. heavy slapback...

the simplicity of 3 pc. and thumpin' rythm.
Click to expand...


Cry, cry cry... that's the cool one
 
I don't know if Johnny Cash used one but a lot of other performers from that same era (Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis then a lot of others in the early 60s) were using an early type of tape loop machine called an "Echo-Plex." It was the analog version of digital delay and had a sound all it's own. Of course that was from the days when reverb amps were state of the art and more than a 35 watt PA was a big one.
 
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