Karen's studio vocal microphone

[Phil OKeefe]

Hi everyone... new forum member here. My name is Phil O'Keefe, and I'm a record producer / recording engineer / studio owner, and I also do some freelance writing for EQ magazine and moderate one of their online recording forums.

Anyway, a question came up on my forum...

http://www.musicplayer.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=forum&f=27&submit=Go

...about Karen's studio vocal mic, and I was hoping someone here could help us out. I've worked in the old A&M studios (now Henson), and I'm very familiar with the rooms and the gear... but I don't know what mic Karen's vocals were recorded through. Actually, I'd love any details on the entire signal path that any of you might be able to provide.

To my ears, it sounds like they had that mic positioned very close to Karen. It also sounds like they had some significant compression on her too.

Based on the timeframe of the Carpenter's hits, they were certainly recorded to 2" analog tape. The most commonly available compressors available back then would have included the Altecs, Fairchilds and the LA-2A and 1176. Mics could have been anything really... the "big five" vocal mics (AKG C12, Neumann U47, U67, M49 and Telefunken ELA M 251) were all available, as was the Neumann U87. Chances are good it was one of those five or six mics... but again, I have no idea which one. Of course, it possibly could have been a ribbon mic, such as the RCA 77 or 44.

A ribbon mic can add a lot of warmth and depth to a voice - especially when positioned close (proximity effect on ribbon mics tends to be pretty high), so I suppose that's possible... but most engineers usually go for condensers for lead vocals, and that certainly held true at that point in history.

I've owned and / or used every mic I've listed above, and I'm very familiar with their sonics and what characteristics they impart to things, but since I never had the pleasure of hearing Karen sing in person, I can't possibly make any intelligent guesses as to which one they actually used on her parts.

If anyone knows and can post the information, I would really appreciate it!

Thanks,


Phil O'Keefe

 

[newvillefan]

Hi Phil

I'm not that technically minded, but with regards to the closeness that Karen was mic'd up, the only obvious source I can think of is the official site Q&A:

Q. “What is your feeling about the idea of Karen’s voice as ‘intimate’? Is this (her singing very close to the microphone) the true extent of the relationship between her voice’s ‘intimacy’ and the technology, or, to what extent did your production try to emphasize her naturally ‘intimate’ vocality?”

A. "It has nothing to do with singing closely to the microphone; that would just make for a more present sound. Karen had the intimacy built right into the sound of her voice and her brain, so it was her born sound that so beautifully interpreted a lyric. The writer, Tom Nolan, who did the cover piece on us for Rolling Stone wrote (of a concert in Las Vegas), 'Out comes that marvelous voice, exactly as on record…. a marvel, youth combined with wisdom.' Tom nailed it. It’s not singing close to the mic. Singing close to the mic just made it better sonically."

http://www.richardandkarencarpenter.com/fans_ask_Archive-All.htm

 

[Phil OKeefe]

Thanks for taking the time to respond. Based on that information, it does sound like they used a close mic technique on Karen. That can add some presence and warmth (directional mics boost bass frequencies when they are placed very close to a sound source), but the basic timbre is all about what the singer brings to the table naturally... and IMO, Karen Carpenter had a great voice.

Again, thanks for taking the time to respond.



Phil O'Keefe

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

Phil, why don't you email your question directly to Richard. He actually responds to all questions whether he puts them on his website or not. I'm sure with your background he would gladly tell you what mic they used for Karen. When you hear back, you can let us all know what he says.

 

[Phil OKeefe]

That's not a bad idea... do you have an email address?



Phil O'Keefe

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

Phil follow the link above from Stephen, then click on the left tab "contact us" then click on tab, fan's ask. This will open your email.

Or go here:

http://www.richardandkarencarpenter.com/

 

[Phil OKeefe]

Okay, here's one thing I did find on the site:

**********************************************

Q. I am very familiar with A&M Studios and it's layout and have heard different theories over the years while recording there as to where you and Karen liked recording certain things. How did you normally select your rooms (i.e. tracking, string dates, vocal overdubs, etc.)?

A. The leads done in C were the best sounding. Tracks ideally in B, vocals B or C; ….Strings A; "A" is always the largest in any studio complex, and you get a better sound with all the strings in the bigger room. When Studio D was completed in '74 we did quite a bit of recording in there as it wasn't too small or too big, and had quite a warm feel, which Karen liked. But then, we didn’t always get our first choice as the studios might be booked ahead by others.

*******************************************

Studio C at A&M / Henson is by far the smallest of the rooms there. IIRC, a buddy of mine named Bill Dooley had a hand in the redesign, so I imagine it was different in design / acoustical treatment back then, but the actual physical space is quite small. B is a much larger and move acoustically "live" sounding room, although it's not as large as A or D. Studio C is directly across the hall from B and A. Since the big dollar vocal mics usually "float" from room to room as requested / needed, it doesn't offer any clues insofar as the mic Karen used (besides, Jimmy Iovine reportedly hand picked the cream of the gear crop to take with him when the studio sold to Henson, so the actual mic she used is probably no longer there), but it does offer a bit of insight to the acoustical environment they preferred.

I'm going to drop Richard an email in a minute, and if I do hear back from him, I'll post it here.

Thanks again for the help and suggestions everyone.

 

[thestitch]

This is the kind of thing I LOVE to see discussed here! Welcome to the forum, Phil! It's a great question and I look forward to Richard's answer!

Marilyn

 

[SakuraSYayoi]

Welcome to the forum, Phil!

I'm Sakura from Japan. I have a booklet about Carpenters which was published by A&M/King Record in Japan, 1975. There is Q&A in Japanese.
Q. What kind of microphone do you use?
A. Shure's single directivity heart-shaped microphone

I don't know much about microphones, so I don't know if they used it for live, recording or both.

Another website still has Carpenters' advertisement for Shure.
There were Shure microphones at microphones list of A&M Studios.

Sakura

 

[Chris May]

Hi Phil!

In the studio, Karen most commonly sang into a Neumann U-87. Richard also liked the U-47s, but the 87 was consistent with almost every recording vocally. Karen also sang typically no more than 2-3" inches from the microphone. Richard did prefer studio "C" for vox, but as I have also recorded in "C" myself (and consistent with other comments made by Richard regarding the room), "C" had no airlock as A/C rumble *was* a problem. -Chris

 

[Phil OKeefe]

Thanks Chris.

Do you happen to know what the rest of the signal path was? Specifically, mic preamp (or more likely, the console preamp - I don't know what they had in C back then, but I know the current Euphonix console wasn't in "C" back in the early 1970's ) and compressor?

I really do appreciate the information.

Thanks again,



Phil O'Keefe

 

[Phil OKeefe]

Sakura, thank you for the information. The mic that they're probably referring to is the Shure SM58, which is probably the most popular vocal microphone for live performance use ever built. While I HAVE done studio albums where we've used SM58's (and the similar SM57) for lead vocal recording, that's not really all that common to use it for that - the SM58 is primarily used for live performances, largely due to its ruggedness and durability - a typical "studio vocal mic" is far more fragile and less likely to hold up under "touring conditions".

Shure also makes some excellent studio condenser mics, such as the KSM series, but those were not in the line back in the 1970's. They also used to make ribbon mics (I've got a couple of vintage models), but they have not made those for years.

The Shure SM57 (and to a much lesser extent, the SM58) is frequently used for studio recording, but usually for things like guitar amplifiers and snare drums.

Again, thanks for the information and the warm welcome everyone!

 

[Chris May]

Yes, the 58s were used live as you well know.

To answer your question on signal path etc., I'm not for certain. I know A&M used the Fairchild for compression in all of the rooms if I am not mistaken. In the early days, for recording I know they [Carpenters] recorded on the Haeco. I can get more detailed info for you if you are truly interested.

By the way, are you into some project with a vocalist looking for this kind of treatment? What's all the buzz if I may ask? -Chris

 

[SakuraSYayoi]

Phil,

Thank you very much for letting us know about microphones!!
In Shure advertisement Karen was holding Shure microphone at a stage. It must be Shure SM58.

I have read about Carpenters' microphone only in Japanese. Thanks for making this topic!!

Sakura

 

[Phil OKeefe]

To answer your question on signal path etc., I'm not for certain. I know A&M used the Fairchild for compression in all of the rooms if I am not mistaken. In the early days, for recording I know they [Carpenters] recorded on the Haeco. I can get more detailed info for you if you are truly interested.

By the way, are you into some project with a vocalist looking for this kind of treatment? What's all the buzz if I may ask? -Chris

No, I'm not currently working on such a project... although I just finished a album with a 19 year old alto jazz singer named Julie Day where I used my 251 at about that same distance through a 1272 and an Aphex comp for the vocals; going for that "close, detailed and intimate" type of tone. Someone was asking about Karen's signal path on my EQ Magazine forum, and I just went out and did a little research and found this site. Call it professional curiousity.

Sure, any particulars on the signal path details you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again!