Question For Harvey Gerst

[Good Friend]

Hey Harvey, i know that this question probably cant be answered with any guarantee of accuracy, but id at least like to hear your opinion.

What mic/preamp/compressor was most likely used for Peter Noone's vocals? His voice always sound perfect to me in both tone and musicality. It always has a nice smooth midrange sound and a touch of some kind of saturation on the loud notes.

Any guess you have would help. Thanks!

 

[zbert]

I don't know the answer to your question but did you know the producer of some of the Herman Hermits was John Paul Jones of Led Zep?

 

[Good Friend]

Jpj

I think i kinda knew. If that can be possible. I think the production on most Hermans stuff was great sounding. Hermans Hermits ghost writers knew how to write tunes and they knew how to write for Noone's voice. If they werent writing with his voice in mind it must have been accidental genius. He sounds like a creature!

 

[Harvey Gerst]

I haven't a clue as to what mic he might have used. If I had to make a guess, it was probably a Neumann U47 or U67 thru a V72 preamp.

 

[gbondo9]

Here ya go:

 

[Good Friend]

oh no!

Now i have to put off recording or writing anything until i can save 10 thousand dollars!! Then ill have to go back in time because all u47s components have aged since the 60s and they dont "sound quite the same as they did". OH NO!

 

[SRR]

Time travel might be possible if you believe this:

http://www.recordingreview.com/forum/index.php?topic=591.0

 

[notCardio]

I can't believe the coincidence here

Just the other day I was going to ask in the guitar & bass forum if someone could venture a guess as to the method used to get the rythym guitar sound in 'Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter'. It sounds almost like one of those little plastic nylon string toy guitars. Not really important, but I was just always curious about it.

The next time he comes through town, I'll have to make a point to go see him and ask him these questions in the autograph line.

 

[notCardio]

Time travel might be possible if you believe this:

http://www.recordingreview.com/forum/index.php?topic=591.0

Well, if current string theory turns out to be valid, it probably will only be a matter of time (no pun intended). But I think they're going to realize that, much like relativity, there are holes (again, no pun intended) in the theory.

In the meantime, I'm gonna keep working on the DeLorean. The problem is, it's just so hard to get it up to speed, what with the 10 kilos of cocaine in the trunk and all.

 

[Harvey Gerst]

Just the other day I was going to ask in the guitar & bass forum if someone could venture a guess as to the method used to get the rythym guitar sound in 'Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter'. It sounds almost like one of those little plastic nylon string toy guitars. Not really important, but I was just always curious about it.

Now that one, I know. I watched them doing a live show on TV and they did that song. The guitarist had a Gibson 335 and he was doing a palm mute (where you use the back of your palm to mute the strings as you play).

 

[Harvey Gerst]

Now i have to put off recording or writing anything until i can save 10 thousand dollars!! Then ill have to go back in time because all u47s components have aged since the 60s and they dont "sound quite the same as they did". OH NO!

I imagine if you could record Peter Noone with a Meeks JM47a, an ADK Hamburg, or even an MXL V67, you'd get pretty damn close to that sound.

 

[notCardio]

Now that one, I know. I watched them doing a live show on TV and they did that song. The guitarist had a Gibson 335 and he was doing a palm mute (where you use the back of your palm to mute the strings as you play).

That may be how they approximated it live, but do you think that's how they did it in the studio? I've tried palm muting on a lot of different guitars and nothing I ever did sounded very close to that, but I guess I never really put that much time into it. Can you hear any obvious effect on it, like doubling, or delay? Maybe really heavy compression would help. Oh, well, something to play around with. Sorry for hijacking.

Thanks Harvey.

 

[noisedude]

I imagine if you could record Peter Noone with a Meeks JM47a, an ADK Hamburg, or even an MXL V67, you'd get pretty damn close to that sound.

I love that. Pretty damn is close enough for me. Now all I need is Peter to stop rooting through my fridge and start singing already!

 

[j-boy]

I don't know the answer to your question but did you know the producer of some of the Herman Hermits was John Paul Jones of Led Zep?

And didja know that Jimmy Page, John Bonham and John Paul Jones were the backing band on Donovan's hit 'Hurdy Gurdy Man'?

 

[j-boy]

... or that Jimmy Page plays the lead guitar on Tom Jones' 'It's Not Unusual'?

 

[up-fiddler]

Just the other day I was going to ask in the guitar & bass forum if someone could venture a guess as to the method used to get the rythym guitar sound in 'Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter'. It sounds almost like one of those little plastic nylon string toy guitars. Not really important, but I was just always curious about it.

I can't remember if I was told this or I just always assumed it was a ukelele. Either way, my guess is that she aint so lovely anymore. She'd have to be about 60 years old by now.

 

[notCardio]

up-fiddler

I can't remember if I was told this or I just always assumed it was a ukelele. Either way, my guess is that she aint so lovely anymore. She'd have to be about 60 years old by now.

Yeah, I always thought it sounded very uke-like and that's what I assumed it probably was, too, but with some serious EQing.

And you of all people should know that 60 isn't what it used to be. There are some damn fine looking 60 yr old women now. Yeah, they may not be quite as smokin as they used to be, but still beautiful nonetheless. Or maybe it's just my perspective has changed.