the-grateful-deads-wall-of-sound

[Federico]

http://audiojunkies.com/blog/730/an-insiders-look-at-the-grateful-deads-wall-of-sound

Some nice pics of a crazy-70's-idea...
F.

[[email protected]]

On Dec 12, 6:00 am, "Federico" > wrote:
> http://audiojunkies.com/blog/730/an-insiders-look-at-the-grateful-dea...
>
> Some nice pics of a crazy-70's-idea...
> F.


Hey, Federico, thanks for posting that. There have been numerous
articles throughout the years about it, but it's always fun to get a
look at the people behind landmark audio undertakings. I was never a
fan, but still find their sincere efforts towards improving their
concert experience to make for interesting reading.


I don't look at it as a failure just because it was eventually
abandoned. Nothing ventured and all that.

[Jay Kadis]

In article >,
"Federico" > wrote:

> http://audiojunkies.com/blog/730/an-insiders-look-at-the-grateful-deads-wall-o
> f-sound

I remember seeing that system in use. Far enough back, it sounded more
like a stereo than a PA. After years of A7s and the occasional
exploding power amp it was a definite sonic improvement, but the
complexity of the system undoubtedly sealed its fate. I'll take a Meyer
system any day.

-Jay

--
x------- Jay Kadis ------- x ---- Jay's Attic Studio ----x
x Lecturer, Audio Engineer x Dexter Records x
x CCRMA, Stanford University x http://www.offbeats.com/ x
x---------- http://ccrma.stanford.edu/~jay/ ------------x

[Mr Soul]

I never actually saw the system in use but I listened to recordings
made by the band from that era, and I always thought that double mic
setup that they used to control feedback made their vocals sound very
strange (like out of phase or something). And when the Dead's vocals
sound strange, you know that they are strange :-)

Mike
http://www.MikeCressey.com.

[Scott Dorsey]

Mr Soul > wrote:
>I never actually saw the system in use but I listened to recordings
>made by the band from that era, and I always thought that double mic
>setup that they used to control feedback made their vocals sound very
>strange (like out of phase or something). And when the Dead's vocals
>sound strange, you know that they are strange :-)

I believe the phrase you are looking for "sounds like a goddamn telephone."
And yes, it's the result of comb filtering.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[Richard Crowley]

"Scott Dorsey" wrote ...
> Mr Soul wrote:
>>I never actually saw the system in use but I listened to recordings
>>made by the band from that era, and I always thought that double mic
>>setup that they used to control feedback made their vocals sound very
>>strange (like out of phase or something). And when the Dead's vocals
>>sound strange, you know that they are strange :-)
>
> I believe the phrase you are looking for "sounds like a goddamn
> telephone."
> And yes, it's the result of comb filtering.

Well, trying to make a "full-range" but also "noise-cancelling"
microphone by taping two mikes back to back (and out of phase)
seemed like a kludge that was destined for failure from the start.

Maybe the laws of physics seem more flexible when you're stoned? :-)

I was told at the time that they gave up on the standard Shure
rock mics (57, 58) because they weren't consitent enough to
even try using as a differential pair.

[D C[_2_]]

Scott Dorsey wrote:

>> I never actually saw the system in use but I listened to recordings
>> made by the band from that era, and I always thought that double mic
>> setup that they used to control feedback made their vocals sound very
>> strange (like out of phase or something). And when the Dead's vocals
>> sound strange, you know that they are strange :-)
>
> I believe the phrase you are looking for "sounds like a goddamn telephone."
> And yes, it's the result of comb filtering.
> --scott


That's my favorite musical era from them - 1974-1976.

[Mr Soul]

> That's my favorite musical era from them - 1974-1976.
Yep - I'd agree if you lower the start date to 1972. Europe '72, Wake
of the Flood and Blues for Allah were gems. Come to think of it, so
wasn't Terrapin Station, so let's extend the upper range to 1977!

Steal your face right off your head :-)

Mike
http://www.MikeCressey.com

[Mr Soul]

> I believe the phrase you are looking for "sounds like a goddamn telephone."
ROTFLMAO!!!

Mike

[david correia]

In article
>,
Mr Soul > wrote:

> > That's my favorite musical era from them - 1974-1976.
> Yep - I'd agree if you lower the start date to 1972. Europe '72, Wake
> of the Flood and Blues for Allah were gems. Come to think of it, so
> wasn't Terrapin Station, so let's extend the upper range to 1977!
>
> Steal your face right off your head :-)
>
> Mike
> http://www.MikeCressey.com



My faves are American Beauty and Workingman's Dead.

The feel of Garcia's vocal and rhythm guitar in Candyman is astounding.
(Too many kids today are indentured slaves to midi and drum machines and
Beat Detective. Course, Garcia was probably slaved to something else at
the time ;> )

btw Is Jerry still dead???




David Correia
www.Celebrationsound.com

[D C[_2_]]

Mr Soul wrote:

>> That's my favorite musical era from them - 1974-1976.

> Yep - I'd agree if you lower the start date to 1972. Europe '72, Wake
> of the Flood and Blues for Allah were gems. Come to think of it, so
> wasn't Terrapin Station, so let's extend the upper range to 1977!
>
> Steal your face right off your head :-)
>
> Mike
> http://www.MikeCressey.com

I'll go for that!

[D C[_2_]]

david correia wrote:

> btw Is Jerry still dead???


He will never die.

<sniff>

[hank alrich]

david correia > wrote:

> btw Is Jerry still dead???

Not yet.

--
ha
Iraq is Arabic for Vietnam

[[email protected]]

On Thu, 13 Dec 2007 22:35:08 -0500, david correia
> wrote:

>My faves are American Beauty and Workingman's Dead.
>
>The feel of Garcia's vocal and rhythm guitar in Candyman is astounding.
>(Too many kids today are indentured slaves to midi and drum machines and
>Beat Detective. Course, Garcia was probably slaved to something else at
>the time ;> )
>
>btw Is Jerry still dead???

I'm with Dave on this I was a huge fan from '69 to '72.
I used to love the midnight to 6:AM concerts starting with the
acoustic trio backed by a couple of mandolins followed by the New
Riders of the Purple Sage followed by The Dead (electric).

I only heard the wall of sound once in Vancouver BC, but I didn't
really know the new songs and it was in a stadium. So it wasn't that
great (Grate) for me. Also I'd stopped dropping acid :)

The concerts in the Fillmore East and various other locals around NY
including Woodstock were most memorable for me.

Jerry is still dead and possibly grateful as far as I know.I used to
have a passing resemblance to Cap't Trips and folks occasionally ask
me if I was a fan as my guitar styling's apparently still are
influenced by years of sitting in the 3 row back on his side of the
stage so I could watch closely.

[Nil]

On 14 Dec 2007, wrote in rec.audio.pro:

> I only heard the wall of sound once in Vancouver BC, but I didn't
> really know the new songs and it was in a stadium. So it wasn't
> that great (Grate) for me. Also I'd stopped dropping acid :)

I'm not much of a Grateful Dead fan, but I did see them, backed by the
Wall of Sound, a couple of times at Winterland in San Francisco. It
sounded awesome to me at that time (although the appearance of it
contributed some of the awe.)

[Peter Larsen[_2_]]

Scott Dorsey wrote:

> Mr Soul > wrote:

>> I never actually saw the system in use but I listened to recordings
>> made by the band from that era, and I always thought that double mic
>> setup that they used to control feedback made their vocals sound very
>> strange (like out of phase or something). And when the Dead's vocals
>> sound strange, you know that they are strange :-)

> I believe the phrase you are looking for "sounds like a goddamn
> telephone." And yes, it's the result of comb filtering.

Their use of misapplied haas effect for stereo on their live 2lp is worse.
It has always been between me and their music .... I get double images
instead of panning.

> --scott


Kind regards

Peter Larsen

[rboy]

On Dec 14, 12:20 pm, wrote:


> So it wasn't that great (Grate) for me. Also I'd stopped dropping acid :)


Was it Nick Batzdorf who had the great line "What did the Deadhead say
when the acid ran out?"

Something exactly like what you said. "Hey, this isn't that
great." : )

But I digress.

[Edwin Hurwitz]

In article
>,
rboy > wrote:

> On Dec 14, 12:20 pm, wrote:
>
>
> > So it wasn't that great (Grate) for me. Also I'd stopped dropping acid :)
>
>
> Was it Nick Batzdorf who had the great line "What did the Deadhead say
> when the acid ran out?"
>
> Something exactly like what you said. "Hey, this isn't that
> great." : )
>
> But I digress.

I believe the correct answer is:
"What is that horrible racket?"

With all due affection, of course.

I never saw the wall, but at my first show, they used a sansui powered
system that was also set up like a home stereo (6/11/76 at the Boston
Garden) and it sounded great. The dynamic range and ease of reproducing
peaks was just stupendous.

There are parts of the wall that still float around. Hard Truckers is
back making guitar and bass cabinets. I played through the bass cab
prototype in Atlanta this summer and it sounded quite nice.

Edwin
--
If you want to make peace, you don't talk to your friends. You talk to your
enemies.
-Moshe Dayan