How did they create that sound on "Mercy Mercy Me"?

brassplyer wrote:
> On Apr 2, 9:13 pm, Mike Rivers > wrote:
>
>
>> There's only one way to find out for sure, and that's to
>> find someone who was on the session who has a good memory.
>> But if you're trying to approximate that sound, you can
>> certainly try all the suggestions that have been made.
>
>
> Wasn't really looking to emulate it - though who knows maybe I might
> someday. It's just a curiosity I've had for a while that I've been
> meaning to ask about.

A woodblock, with a fairly distant microphone, and loads of plate echo
should come close.

--
Tciao for Now!

John.

On Sat, 2 Apr 2011 05:30:44 -0700 (PDT), brassplyer
> wrote:

>On Marvin Gaye's cut "Mercy Mercy Me" there's this repetitive echoing
>"ponk" that sort of sounds like a sonar ping or something. Anyone know
>how that sound was created? Seems I may have heard it on other songs
>as well.

I am not familiar off the top of my head with the sound you are
referring to, but it wouldn't be a vibraslap would it?

Google: vibraslap

and see if that makes the sound you seek.
Dave

On Sun, 03 Apr 2011 07:04:02 -0400, lid wrote:

>On Sat, 2 Apr 2011 05:30:44 -0700 (PDT), brassplyer
> wrote:
>
>>On Marvin Gaye's cut "Mercy Mercy Me" there's this repetitive echoing
>>"ponk" that sort of sounds like a sonar ping or something. Anyone know
>>how that sound was created? Seems I may have heard it on other songs
>>as well.
>
>I am not familiar off the top of my head with the sound you are
>referring to, but it wouldn't be a vibraslap would it?
>
>Google: vibraslap
>
>and see if that makes the sound you seek.
>Dave

Here's a good link to the vibraslap sound:

http://www.ehow.com/video_2371973_use-vibraslap.html

Dave

Il 02/04/2011 14.30, brassplyer ha scritto:
> On Marvin Gaye's cut "Mercy Mercy Me" there's this repetitive echoing
> "ponk" that sort of sounds like a sonar ping or something. Anyone know
> how that sound was created? Seems I may have heard it on other songs
> as well.
do you mean the one acting as "snare" drum in the pattern?

On Apr 3, 7:21*am, alex > wrote:

> do you mean the one acting as "snare" drum in the pattern?


Here, that haunting, echoing "ponk" sound. I've heard it described as
sounding like a racquetball caroming off a wall. Doesn't sound at all
like a snare.


http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/3/...Mercy_pong.mp3

On Apr 3, 7:20*am, wrote:

> Here's a good link to the vibraslap sound:
>
> http://www.ehow.com/video_2371973_use-vibraslap.html


No, definitely not that.

Il 03/04/2011 14.20, brassplyer ha scritto:
> On Apr 3, 7:21 am, > wrote:
>
>> do you mean the one acting as "snare" drum in the pattern?
>
>
> Here, that haunting, echoing "ponk" sound. I've heard it described as
> sounding like a racquetball caroming off a wall. Doesn't sound at all
> like a snare.
>
>
> http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/3/...Mercy_pong.mp3
>
i said the one that "act as a snare in the pattern", not that sound like
a snare.
Listening to the song appear to me that:
1) the "sound" is doubling the snare, but sometimes disappear leaving
the snare alone (at the beginning of the brass section part), or...
2) is just the big reverb (that seems to me a well produced gated spring
reverb) that sometimes disappear (probably because the snare hits being
too weak to open the gate?).
3) is something else controlled by the snare used as key. (like a gated
ambience mic heavily compressed?)

hope it helps...

brassplyer wrote:
> On Marvin Gaye's cut "Mercy Mercy Me" there's this repetitive echoing
> "ponk" that sort of sounds like a sonar ping or something. Anyone know
> how that sound was created? Seems I may have heard it on other songs
> as well.

After fiddling for a minute or two.

Start with a Microsoft Wavetable synth woodblock

Add a shedload of vocal plate reverb in Cubase.

It won't be how it was done in the studio, but it's fairly close.

In the studio, it would have been a proper woodblock, mic'd up a couple
of feet away, then fed in to the studio's plate reverb, with a bit of EQ
to modify the sound.

--
Tciao for Now!

John.

brassplyer > scribbled:

> On Marvin Gaye's cut "Mercy Mercy Me" there's this repetitive echoing
> "ponk" that sort of sounds like a sonar ping or something. Anyone know
> how that sound was created? Seems I may have heard it on other songs
> as well.


I just happen to have a copy of the 16-track. Let's take a look (Listen?).
There's 4 tracks of drums/percussion. Track 1 is the kick, track 2 is the
rest of the kit, track 3 is congas, track 4 is woodblock (with some
alternate celeste in it).

Track 3 has a nice hi conga slap in it that corresponds to the snare. Stick
that thru a plate and there's your sound.

Incidentally, there's lots of electric guitar bleed, some bass bleed, and a
little bit of piano bleed on the conga track. Interesting stuff.

On Apr 3, 10:03*am, "Don P." > wrote:

> I just happen to have a copy of the 16-track. Let's take a look (Listen?)..
> There's 4 tracks of drums/percussion. Track 1 is the kick, track 2 is the
> rest of the kit, track 3 is congas, track 4 is woodblock (with some
> alternate celeste in it).
>
> Track 3 has a nice hi conga slap in it that corresponds to the snare. Stick
> that thru a plate and there's your sound.


Hmm... Given the pitch and overall timbre of the root sound I have a
hard time believing that's a conga. It definitely sounds like
something hard being struck rather than a drum head of any sort. Wood
block struck with something like a timpani mallet or something?

Of course if someone wants to demonstrate that sound can be reproduced
with a conga and the kind of fx available at the time I'm open to be
convinced.