Bernie Grundman engineer

[newvillefan]

Did they not want to inconvenience Ella in case it took Karen multiple takes for her live verses or did someone put doubt in Karen that it would be better to lip synch it when we know she could have easily performed this live. .

What's always slightly bothered me about this medley is the very end...on the last few repeated lines of "I...don't get around much, I...", they go out of sync with each other when singing in unison. Listen to the very last line "don't get around much any more" and you hear it there as well. Karen couldn't do anything about that because her vocal was pre-recorded, had she been singing live she probably could have "sync'd up" with Ella as she was watching her very closely. I'm surprised Bob Henry didn't ask them to go around one more time.

The other thing to note is that this wasn't the first time Karen had mimed to playback...she did it with Perry Como 6 years' earlier too.

 

[Harry]

Here's another reason why Karen performing live on television wasn't quite "optimum". Recall that her mic technique was to be extremely close and sing at a generally low volume, which isn't visually appealing in the realm of television.

Harry

 

[GaryAlan]

Which elicits another viewing and listening of Karen's performance on the
Olivia Hollywood Nights Special; Karen is 'holding her own' vocally amongst the
other vocalists. Karen does appear to be 'belting it out' quite nicely.
Ultimately--and, I say this after working on a Television News Program for some time--
the Director does exactly what he is told to do by the Producer.
The responsibility for the program rests with the Producer.
And, as is borne out by words in the Coleman Biography, the Producer is likewise
held accountable for the sound recording. (Pages 230 and 271).
Decisions about whether to 'mime' or not are made far in advance of filming or airing.

 

[Actorman]

Fantastic explanations all around, Chris May. Thank you very much!!!

 

[GaryAlan]

Bernie Grundman (page 21):
" I have a lot of fond memories.
Working with Richard Carpenter was always a pleasure.
He was such a perfectionist, always wanted to get the best out of a performance.
These were also exciting times because recording techniques were changing at a breakneck
speed. Artists could use more tracks. A lot of additional recording gear was introduced."

Source:
http://www.passionforvinyl.com/downloads/Passion-for-Vinyl-excerpt.pdf